Select a region
A changing of the guard at the top has revealed the huge amount of work that goes on behind the scenes at the Guernsey amateur dramatics club, with an army of volunteers playing their part from committee meetings to set builds.
Expectations need to be kept up as they have been high across GADOC’s near centuries-worth of contribution to the island, and to maintain what the former Lt-Governor, Sir Ian Corder, called “Guernsey’s national treasure”.
Lisa Johnston is now Vice Chair of GADOC and a stalwart of the club, having first become a member 41-years ago. She recently completed her second stint as Chair, before passing the baton to Martine Legg.
When asked why she’s committed so much of her time to the cause, she said the love of it is foundational.
“I think GADOC gives a lot to me. And so, it's something that you can kind of give back. The club is run completely by volunteers, but it needs a committee of people who are there to make sure that all the boring stuff’s done.
“It’s a very important part of my life… GADOC’s been going for nearly 100-years. I'd like to think that it will be going long after I'm in the ground.”
Pictured: GADOC's '9-5' from earlier this year. (Tim Langlois)
Both women are company secretaries by day which was said to have its benefits for their roles in the local performing arts scene.
Martine first came onto the GADOC committee as the secretary, but it initially didn’t fit the bill.
“I think when you find that you're doing your day job as your hobby as well it gets a bit too much. So, I just stayed on as a member, but then it naturally came out”.
She had been participating “on and off” since 2000 but has been “fully fledged” since 2009, with notable periods serving on the committee sandwiched inbetween.
At the time of writing, Martine had been in the top seat for just a matter of months.
The responsibilities of the committee have changed considerably since the turn of the century, from ensuring building and public liability insurance is in place to complying with the nascent charities’ ordinance.
“Being chairman, it's tough,” Lisa said.
“We have a very robust safeguarding policy in place. And obviously, that's a very big thing today. It started with Child Protection many years ago.
“We have a responsibility to make sure that we maintain the club for future generations, but we're maintaining not only the club, but the building, which is the heart of the club. This place is the foundation of GADOC. I think we are so lucky to have this building. Everything I think stems from this - we have a home.”
Pictured: GADOC's 'Vicar of Dibley' from earlier in 2023.
Luckily many of the required policies for new legislation had already been introduced in the preceding decade and only needed tweaks, she added.
“But it's also really rewarding as well because you can see that you're making progress each month when we meet and you're achieving things and you're actually underpinning the foundation.
“It's healthy to change people on the committee, it's healthy to get new interests and new skills around the table. Alan Robin has recently joined us. He's been on committee now for a couple of years. He brings extensive IT and PR skills with him, which is fantastic, which we probably didn't have before.”
“I'm proud of where the committee has led the club over the last few years, how we've dealt with increasing regulation that we have to work by, and how we've dealt with some tricky situations.”
Martine, in taking the role and responsibilities seriously, said the culmination of all that has come from past committees, and public expectations, “genuinely does” weigh on her shoulders. But, as Lisa said, with new people comes new perspectives and approaches.
“One of the first things I want to do is get people involved and helping because not all people who are members want to be on stage. You've got lots of people who want to do bits and bobs, and some people who are just happy to come up,” she said.
“We’ve got some slightly older members who might just want company and have a cup of tea with us on a Saturday morning whilst we swap out the costume cupboard.
It’s even small contributions like these that makes the club tick and requires most to muck-in to get the job done.
Pictured: GADOC is a very hands on organisation, staffed by numerous volunteers.
The pair said there are many unsung heroes from backstage teams, the costume department, front of house, and people who may not get a part but still show commitment to the cause by being on call for holidays and illness, be it rehearsals or the live show, as understudies.
They can be suddenly called to the fore when injuries and mishaps require sudden action, but the club appears to deal with whatever unscripted moments are thrown at them such as where actors have been hurt or the set has been damaged in the middle of a show.
As these instances can’t push back performances - as willing audiences have already paid for tickets and carved time out of their schedules to attend - the show must go on, but no matter what Lisa and Martine say the overall result is what matters most.
This is essential too as public support is what keeps the machine churning over after purchasing props, building sets, and committing swathes of free time.
“GADOC is the heart of a lot of our lives and not only for the volunteers who run get up and take part and get up. But we know that it means a lot to other people outside of the club who might not be members but who come to watch shows,” Lisa said.
“There's nothing more gratifying than when you stand there and the show is finished and you think: ‘oh my god that went really well, I'm really pleased with that’. And then someone will come out and say: ‘you have no idea that has just made my week, it's made my month’."
Pictured: Volunteers help with all of the back stage and pre production roles.
Martine said while it’s a big commitment for all involved, the process is part of a hobby: “They get something from it as well, and everyone's got a place, be it the person who comes to the theatre, every production, you know that they're supporting us”.
That’s why the pair see continued public support as key, so they can be entertained but also to give lifeblood to a whole groups’ passion project.
“People's hobbies are immensely important. They get them through the bad times. The friendships are formed, and the partnerships are formed. People who meet here get married, people here make the best of friends, there are people who go through terrible things, and this is their escape,” Martine said.
Lisa added that “productions are hugely expensive to put on”.
“I think it's important to keep trying to raise the bar, because a lot of people can't afford to get to London and see a West End production.
“I'm not saying that we're West End - we're not - but we're trying to do everything to the very best of our ability.
“I always say I'm aiming for the stars and if I reach the moon, I think I've done a bloody good job.”
COMMUNITY CHAMPION: GADOC was first published in CONNECT - available to read online HERE.
Continuity and evolution in new era at 'the Priaulx'
Sending our iconic pullover around the world
40 years on from hatching an export success story
Meet the custodian of our island's heritage
The man behind the scenes at the KGV
Work-life balance is next challenge for PR expert
Food retailer has big plans to do things differently
Comments
Comments on this story express the views of the commentator only, not Bailiwick Publishing. We are unable to guarantee the accuracy of any of those comments.