DENNIS POTTER 1935 – 1994
A SEVENTIETH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

Saturday 26 February 2005
The Dukes, Lancaster

Lancaster's DENNIS POTTER SYMPOSIUM

The Dukes' Theatre production of Dennis Potter's Blue Remembered Hills in Lancaster (4 – 26 February 2005) coincided with the seventieth anniversary of Potter's birth in 1935. So, in conjunction with The Dukes, we felt it appropriate to provide an opportunity to celebrate this landmark with a birthday-tribute Symposium on Saturday 26 February 2005.

Open to everyone, the Symposium was planned to appeal for those who have enjoyed Potter's work on television and on stage - including the performances of Blue Remembered Hills at The Dukes – and to literature and drama students, and to their teachers and lecturers as well.

The Symposium was held in The Dukes' Gallery at 4.15pm on the final Saturday of The Dukes' production of Blue Remembered Hills. The Dukes kindly provided light refreshments throughout the proceedings.

Four speakers discussed different aspects of the life and works of Dennis Potter, with special reference to his stage play Blue Remembered Hills, in short presentations of some 15 minutes each.

First was Dave Evans, Fellow of York St John College (University of Leeds), who spoke of a Potter ‘Renaissance and Reappraisal', illustrating moments of ‘rebirth' in the writer's life, and commenting on a recent re-awakening of general interest in Potter and his works.

Second, Paul Ferguson, who is currently working towards a Doctorate at the University of Lancaster, pointed out the critical and practical differences between ‘naturalism' and ‘realism' in Potter's work, and in particular the differences between the stage and television-drama versions of Blue Remembered Hills and other works.

For the third session, we were also very pleased that, along with The Dukes' Artistic Director Ian Hastings, all of the seven members of the cast of Blue Remembered Hills were able to join the proceedings:

Peter - Antony Bessick
Raymond - Darren Cheek
Angela - Vanessa Clarke
Willie - Eamonn Fleming
Donald Duck - Howard Gossington
John - Glyn Pritchard
Audrey - Claire Vousden

Ian's presentation addressed the practical issues involved in mounting a production of Blue Remembered Hills, commenting on dialect, the casting of adults as children, and ‘animal' realism. The cast's comments and contributions added valuable practical and other insights to the play, its writer, and the nature of performance, live and otherwise.

Last, Lancaster-based Freelance Journalist and Writer [and Virtual-Lancaster's Arts Correspondent – Ed], Michael Nunn explored the notion of ‘Drama in the Forest: A Strange Place'. He discussed literature over the millennia, from Genesis in the Bible, to Shakespeare's use of ‘the woods' in A Midsummer Night's Dream, and on to Dennis Potter's output and Blue Remembered Hills.

The two-hour session provided ample opportunities for questions and answers, and there was also some interesting and lively general debate on the fascinating issues which had been raised.

All those who attended (on a cold afternoon – some had braved crossing the Pennines just to get to Lancaster!) thoroughly enjoyed the proceedings. There were calls for further such initiatives at The Dukes, and, as the Chairs of the Symposium, we would like to thank the speakers, and everyone else who contributed to the afternoon, for making it the success it undoubtedly was.

Leonie Pearce, St Martin's College, Lancaster
Dave Pearce, University of Central Lancashire
Joint Chairs

Editor's Note:
The formal, printed Proceedings of The Dukes' Dennis Potter Symposium will be published shortly. So if you want a complete record of the presentations and discussion, please contact michaelpnunn@virtual-lancaster.net, – cost etc to be decided still but probably around £3 incl postage.