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Theatre praises pioneer

Angela Kelly
22/10/2008

WHEN the play Independent Means opens at Manchester’s Library Theatre this weekend, it will not only offer a chance to enjoy a rarely-seen work but also mark a special celebration.

It was in 1908 that the legendary Miss Annie Horniman opened the Gaiety Theatre – just a stride away from Central Library – on Peter Street in the heart of the city.

This not only realised her own dream of a permanent base for a stock company of talented actors performing a variety of plays but also began repertory as we know it in this country.

Planning for this unusual ‘birthday’ began two years ago and involved the Library Theatre’s artistic director, Chris Honer, in a search of the British Library.

He was looking through the works of the ‘Manchester School’ of playwrights of the time – Harold Brighouse, Stanley Houghton and Allan Monkhouse were its leading figures – to find just the right play to mark the occasion.

"Many of the plays were fascinating, written with real humanity," he explained.

"They dealt with relationships and social situations, although some were a bit melodramatic."

Chris was looking beyond the better known plays like Hindle Wakes but his eye was taken by another by the same author, Stanley Houghton.

Independent Means was written in 1909 and tells the story of Edgar Forsyth, the public school-educated son of wealthy Northern gentleman John Forsyth, and Edgar’s young wife, Sidney.

They return from their overseas honeymoon to discover his father’s business interests have hit serious problems.

Now, this conservative and traditional family must adapt to the changing times.

"No, we certainly didn’t plan it to be quite so oddly relevant to what’s currently happening," laughed Chris.

"But it does seem good timing, doesn’t it? I just felt that it had wonderful dialogue."

In fact, he couldn’t find any reference to the play being performed in the past 40 years – "although I can’t for the life of me think why – it’s an undiscovered gem."

But this only added to the piquancy and fascination of the choice.

The playwrights of the ‘Manchester School’ made their debut at the Gaiety, encouraged by the redoubtable Annie Horniman, whose life is also being celebrated by the Library Theatre with a special day of events.

She was an unusual woman of the time, to put it mildly.

Born into a genteel family, her paternal grandfather, John Horniman, founded the family tea business Horniman and Co and made a fortune from the innovative idea of selling tea in packets of a guaranteed weight and purity.

Annie and her younger brother, Emslie, were taught by private tutors and both developed a love of music and the arts. Annie’s early love of theatre in general and Ibsen in particular was fostered by a German governess.

As a young woman, Annie rebelled against her parents and the Victorian middle-class values and prejudices she felt they represented.

She ardently believed in equality of the sexes and supported the women’s suffrage movement.

During her teens, she took up smoking heavily, a habit she retained for the rest of her life.

She befriended leading figures in literature and drama, notably the Irish poet WB Yeats, and her friendship with him took her to Ireland where she used a shares windfall to fund a theatre for the Irish National Theatre Society.

Although disagreements finally drove her away, she retained her desire to found a repertory theatre movement in her home country and chose Manchester as the likeliest spot.

After leasing the Midland Hotel for a trial season, Miss Horniman’s Company moved into the refurbished theatre nearby, which she bought as a base.

Over the next few years, the Gaiety produced a widely varied stock of plays and gained a strong theatrical reputation.

Although it eventually closed, its influence on the modern repertory movement was huge and Miss Horniman became a well-known north west figure. "There’s no doubt she was a remarkable woman," said Chris Honer, "and the play offers us a great chance to appreciate her once more."

Independent Means runs from October 25 to November 22. The day of Annie Horniman events, including talks, walks and performances, is Saturday, November 8. For more details go to www.librarytheatre.com or ring 0161 236 7110.