Gordon Monsen

Please describe yourself and your areas of interest.

A retired theatre man who has done most jobs since graduating from RADA in 1970. A freelance stage manager in New York and numerous productions in UK. Even a sound designer on ‘Hello Dolly’ in the West End then on to producer of Goethe ‘Faust’ at Lyric, Hammersmith. As a digester of numerous scripts I tried to discern the merits of each; beautiful writing, a flow of plot and character and its likely appeal to the paying audience. Get this wrong and the theatre is empty. No pressure.

Why did you become a Companion of the Guild?

When administrator at Crucible I would view the Ruskin collection and found it both stimulating and fulfilling. The man could write - although he would have benefitted from an Editor - and his help for the less educated lit a light of real value far beyond Sheffield.