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A Brief History of CAOS Time
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It is imperative to emphasise how the history of the College
Amateur Operatic Society (CAOS) has been closely entwined with
the history of Walthan Forest College (WFC).
South West Essex Technical College & School of Art was officially
opened on Tuesday, 28th April, 1939 by the President of the Board
of Education, Earl de la Warr. The original building was to cover
two and a quarter acres, four storeys high in Neo-Georgian style.
The College was to be built on Chesnuts Farm's playing fields,
fronting Forest Road. The final cost of buildings and furnishings
£240,000.
College classes had commenced the previous September and CAOS,
as an evening class, gave its first performance of 'Patience'
on Thursday, 25th April, 1939.
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With a cast of 48, 32 women and 16 men, one wonders how they managed
on such a small stage. A note in the programme (cost 2d) states
'ladies are requested to remove their hats during the performance'.
How times have changed!
World War II disrupted full-scale productions although several
concerts were given to service personnel, who under the auspices
of the War Office, were trained at the College: to the Royal Navy,
it was known as H.M.S. Shrapnel.
Following the War in 1947, the Society was reformed with many new
members joining Mr Coxif, the original musical director, and a few
founder members to commence rehearsals for 'The Rebel Maid'.
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In1954, a
performance of 'The Quaker Girl'occasioned a very different experience
for ouraudience. The first act was coming towards the end when a fire
was discovered - the front curtains werealight! Fire extinguishers
were able to control the flames but the hall was full of smoke and
when the final curtain came down it had holes in it. The cast and
audience carried on manfully - a hang over from the war - perhaps?
As a direct result of the creation of the London Borough of Waltham
Forest (LBWF), in 1965, South West Essex Technical College was renamed
as Waltham Forest College and LBWF took over the responsibility of
its running. |
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From 1970 to 1982, the
North East London Polytechnic (NELP), now the University of East London,
shared the premises with the College but space was at a premium. The
space crisis was such that NELP moved out of the College premises
and LBWF took back the west block buildings for offices and this situation
remains to the present day. |
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WHAT WE DO?
Past productions range from operettas to classic
and modern musicals:
My Fair Lady
The Mikado
Kiss Me Kate
High Society
Half A Sixpence
Call Me Madam
Viva Mexico!
The Music Man
Gigi
Oklahoma
Fiddler on the Roof
Hello, Dolly!
The Pajama Game
Carousel
Oliver!
Since 1976, the Society has also presented ad
hoc performances of Old Tyme Music Hall and themed revues and concerts.
These have been first presented at the College and then taken to
other venues at the request of different organisations. The majority
of these performance are for charities and, as costs are forever
rising for our own main productions, we are more than pleased to
be able to offer our time rather than money to good causes.
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Lack of backstage
space, having to dress on the stairways combined with new fire regulations
compelled the move from the College to the KMT. Professional dressing
rooms, orchestra pit, a green room and adequate storage space for
both props and scenery lessened the wrench from our spiritual home. |
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Kenneth
More Theatre
ILFORD
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Throughout these changing
times, CAOS stubbornly survived. However, in 1995, sadly it was forced
to move to the Kenneth More Theatre (KMT) in Ilford. The first major
production was 'High Society'. Subsequently, CAOS has remained at
the KMT, without interruption, for the past 14 years. |
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Oliver(2008) is our most
successful production since we transferred to the KMT in 1995 with
an audience of 1,801 (98%)
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