JOAN: The very special Murray Ware died recently. Not everyone will know of Murray but lots of Whanganui theatregoers will have seen his work over the years at Four Seasons Theatre, Repertory Theatre, River City Players and Amdram.
Murray was our lighting and sound person for many years. He was gifted, devoted and so skilled. He adored theatre and was a shrewd critic. For that reason, his lighting board was a manual one. He watched each performance intently and made lighting and sound changes to the stage which corresponded exactly to the mood and pace of that particular evening. He knew his actors and reflected their individual performances every time. He was there at every rehearsal to be sure of his role.
I met him at Four Seasons Theatre when David Smiles ruled the kingdom he had established up there. Murray was ensconced in the lighting box at the back of the auditorium for every show. It was no surprise to see him selling tickets in the box office beforehand, having tidied the kitchen, set up the bar and checked the auditorium. Those of us who performed could see Murray from the stage, lighting and "sounding" us perfectly and grinning at us behind the audience darkness as he encouraged us along.
Play over, he would farewell the patrons then rush into the bar to serve those who stayed behind for a drink. Often cast members would stay on for a good while discussing the show and Murray would give us his honest opinion on how we went. He was great fun in every capacity he filled and only ever got irritated if things were not done as professionally as he would like.
A new show to be rehearsed, often when the previous show was still running, involved Murray from start to finish. He used his stalwart truck to bring in props and scenery and would see that it was removed speedily at the end of a run. Often he would arrive straight from his work at Wanganui Furnishers, with a newspaper of fish and chips, to speedily devour before his theatre work began.
We became dear friends as Murray was generous with his time and effort. He was loved by all who worked there. We continued our "theatre friendship" when Repertory became our venue. Eventually Murray had his own lighting box at the back of this lovely theatre. Murray talked to himself a lot during both plays and rehearsals. It became a standing joke that, if, as he frequently did, he opened the window at the front of his box, patrons seated nearby would hear his "patter of asides" rather than the play! Murray's reliability and dedication played a large part in making Rep a great place to work and a fun place in which to spend many hours.
