When were you at the school and who was the Headmaster?
I arrived in 1st Year (Year 7) 1985 and left in 1992 after my A Levels. My Dad taught English at school, and after I was born I lived briefly at Drift Cottage in Lime Avenue. Dr John Blatchly was my Headmaster.
Which House did you belong to and who was your Head of House?
I belonged to Holden where Mike Bannan was the Housemaster and I became Head of House (Senior Prefect) in 1991.
What did you do in the co-curricular programme whilst at school?
I spent a huge amount of my time at school pursuing my love of music; I played in Wind Band, Big Band, Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, sang in Chapel Choir and I accompanied the Choral Society on the piano. Alongside my musical pursuits, I appeared in a number of lower school plays, including The Italian Straw Hat, Tin Pan Ali and The Insect Play.
As my commitment to music became too much to juggle, Alex Burnett (Head of English & Drama) suggested that I compose music for the 4A Play (top set English), The Comedy of Errors. That was effectively my move from ‘on’ to ‘side’ stage.
As a Thursday afternoon activity, I took part in the hugely popular CS Primary Schools activity at Sprites Junior (as I wanted to become a primary school teacher). I began by sticking labels into reading books, but quickly progressed onto playing music for school productions, including Joseph.
During the Sixth Form, I directed Journey’s End and we filled Great School to capacity with audiences from within the school and from many visiting schools, although the Deputy Head had bet us a crate of beer that we would not get a full house!
Whilst I didn’t play 1st team sport, I hugely enjoyed being involved in sport; my greatest sporting achievement was breaking and holding the cricket ball throwing record. (Does it still stand?) I also belonged to the General Knowledge Quiz team and specialised in ‘Popular Culture’, but left the other topics to the clever guys! We won the Regionals but were sadly thrashed at the Nationals.
Tell me about who or what inspired you during your time at school?
Alex Burnett was directing The Tempest in 1986; it was played on the floor of Great School and the audience sat on the stage (as there was no raked seating at that time). Alex had introduced a smoke machine for the first time at school and taught us how effective stagecraft could be; I can still picture him walking through the smoke now.
Other sources of inspiration were pupils in the year above who were hugely talented musicians, including OI George Double whose playing and recording credits include Dame Shirley Bassey and Grammy Award Winner Jack Jones. Amongst his other commitments, George is the senior drum kit consultant for Trinity College London (and of course, one of our current Visiting Music Teachers).
What was your most memorable moment at the school
There are far too many to single any out as I was kept so busy at school with a wealth of special memories. I especially loved my time in Holden House as there was such excellent camaraderie.
What happened next after Ipswich School?
I was advised to do a Music degree although my real aspiration was to study Education. I went to the University of Liverpool where I started to compose and conduct for theatre as I wanted to gain experience of orchestral conducting. Once I was doing this, I absolutely loved it and the desire to become a teacher began to wane, much to my parents’ regret who were both teachers.
Nevertheless, I did a PGCE in Secondary Music and Drama alongside my conducting – life was pretty hectic! (I conducted The Planets in Liverpool Met Cathedral during my teaching placement.) I was offered a job with a children’s theatre company in Manchester and also did some supply and full time Music and Drama classroom teaching in Liverpool.
In 1998, I took the decision to leave teaching and become a freelance musician. I moved back to Ipswich which led to a lot of work in regional and young people’s theatre, including at the Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds, where I was Composer in Residence; writing music and songs for in-house productions, and leading outreach work, from parent/toddler to retired groups.
I moved to Surrey in 2006 and balanced working in drama schools as a visiting musical director alongside commercial productions. I’ve recently relocated back to Ipswich.
What are you doing currently and what led you here?
I have just finished as MD for a brand-new open-air production of Cats at Kilworth House Theatre, which ran all Summer; and before that, I was on tour with Jersey Boys for a year-and-a-half, where we visited 29 venues and gave 465 performances!
What lies ahead for the coming year?
I started as MD on the 28th October for Singin’ in the Rain at the Mill at Sonning near Reading until February when I will return to Kilworth House for next Summer’s production of Half a sixpence.
What would you tell your teenage self?
Be true to yourself and always be kind to all those you encounter.
What advice would you give to those interested in pursuing a similar interest?
In this business you need to balance your fierce ambition with wide-eyed reality, and be the best version of yourself. You can’t ever be perfect; but your effort can be. When you are faced with challenging situations, try to recognise that nobody makes mistakes on purpose – and above all, be kind to people.
My working life involves 90% diplomacy and 10% music – a successful production is based on effective teamwork. Remember to treat everyone with equal respect, from the stage door keeper to the star name.
You can find Francis on Twitter @francisgoodhand and on his website at francisgoodhand.co.uk
