Laindon's golden heyday...

Out of Britain's hundreds of operatic and dramatic societies, the Basildon Amateur Operatic Society enjoys a distinction that may well be unique. It is actually older than the town from which it takes its name.

The society celebrates its 70th anniversary this year. Basildon, by contrast, is a mere stripling at 51.

The society was founded in Laindon in 1930, in the middle of what was then the population centre of the district. In an era with no televisions and little recorded music, it dominated the musical life and much of the social life of the area.

Through much of that time, shows, and show business alike, were directed by a formidable Lloyds of London man, John Briggs. He in his turn was directed by his somewhat quieter, but no less formidable wife June, herself a mainstay of the company, on stage and off.

"John bossed everybody around," according to June.

"Except for her," John will say. "Her I could never boss around."

Ten years ago, John surrendered the director's megaphone to other hands. But John and June are still very much around and involved with the company.

John himself is also 70 and like the society itself, Laindon born and bred. Moreover, this year witnesses John and June's 50th wedding anniversary. Between them they have long and vivid memories both of the society and of old Laindon.

Laindon in the 1930s, when John was a boy, was a very different place from the built-up western arm of Basildon that we see today. It was a thriving, autonomous community, with more than a mile of shops on each side of the road.

Mains drainage was a status symbol, and many of the side-roads were unpaved mud tracks. John recalls a milkman's horse that became so mired in one of these tracks that it had to be shot.

Along the edge of these mud-tracks ran narrow slivers of concrete, just wide enough to carry a bicycle (though woe betide the cyclist who had to stop).

"Just imagine trying to make your way along one of those concrete strips in full City costume of bowler hat and pinstripes without getting muddy," says John.

In a world of bog-splattered bicycle clips, the romance of a show like Merrie England or the Desert Song must have come across with all the more gorgeous force. The word glamour really meant something.

The society was founded in 1930 by the Langdon Hills choirmaster, "Pop" Holland, a figure of almost legendary status in the area's cultural life.

John and June were members of the church choir.

One day in 1930, Pop Holland made an announcement at the end of choir practice. He was forming a musical theatre group. "You will turn up for rehearsal and you will not be late," he told the assembled singers.

"There was," says John Spriggs, "no question of 'would you like to join?' It was just a matter of 'you will be there'. He was very autocratic." Out of such commanding ways, the operatic society was born.

Pop Holland inspired a fierce loyalty among his actors and singers - "I worshipped the ground he walked on" says John - and he instilled high standards in everybody who participated. "We were known as the best in the area," says John with a pride that is still palpable after all these years.

Such standards were maintained even after Pop Holland had passed on. John was marked from an early age as his heir apparent.

"I quite happily carried on his methods," says John. "At work and at play, I was the boss," he says. "Except, of course, for her," he reiterates, indicating June.

Rehearsals and performances were held at the Langdon Hills school.

Cast and audiences alike descended on the school from miles around by bike and bus. Few people in Laindon or Noak Hill had cars in those days.

John and June had shared the same school, the same choir and the same operatic group. Seldom did the great casting director in the skies create a more obviously predestined double act.

They were married in 1950, after courting their way through Merrie England and much of the Gilbert and Sullivan repertoire.

The pair keep their interest in amateur musical theatre.. John is the local representative of NODA (the national association for amateur stage musical companies).

"I cover between 18 and 22 productions a year," he explains. "And I'm responsible for three awards."

Although John is impressed by the ambitious nature of some of the current projects, he finds that a lot of modern chorus work lacks skill. "We used to sing four-part harmony," he says. "It was bloody hard work - but very satisfying. Now they all just sing in unison."

As a further contrast in eras, he adds: "Nowadays, they all pay for a professional director and a professional musical director. I used to do both jobs, for nothing."

With the arrival of the new town, the little old Laindon Oppy transformed into the Big Basildon one, and in due course moved to the Towngate Theatre.

Since then, of course, the society's fortunes have proved a deal more glowing than the Towngate's.

For the 70th anniversary production, and the year 2000, Basildon Operatic looks set to once again perform in a school, as it did for its very first performance. The wheel has come full circle.

Still, the show goes on. And Basildon Operatic's most senior members, like the society itself, are living proof of an old adage. If you seek a cheery longevity, there's nothing like putting on a show or two or 70.

Driving forces - John and June Briggs. Right, with a programme from a Basildon Amateur Operatic Society with whom they are still closely involved and left, with a picture of St. Nicholas church, Laindon, where they married nearly 50 years ago

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