George Richardson’s long career in building things

George has been with the Playhouse for 38 years. And in all that time many visitors may not have seen him in the flesh, though they might have seen his creations.

The reason? George is a quiet type and his area of expertise is not on stage but in building the sets for Preston Drama Club productions.

Often alone in the workshop, George admits that he loves to build things. The coincidence that got him started at the Playhouse, is directly down to his career as a builder.

George told the story of how he had a chat with Dennis Edwards, a Playhouse stalwart during the 50s, 60s, and 70s during a lunch break. Dennis an architect, and George, by then a clerk of works, were both working on a County Hall building project. Dennis told George about his involvement with the Playhouse and how they could do with a hand in the workshop.

“So I came down to the Playhouse and started working on the sets, and I haven’t stopped since.”

Three years ago George stopped doing backstage work ‘because of his age’, he said. He thought he ‘would let the young ones take over.’ Though he still works in the PDC workshop and has no current plans of quitting there.

Though the materials and method have not changed over the years, the tools have made the work a lot easier.

‘You don’t need to be a carpenter to do this job,” said George. ‘Anyone can do it.’

So on behalf of the Playhouse, this reporter would like to say: Thank you George for all your hard work and effort. And if anyone would like to meet the man and see his creations then please contact George or Alex Tagg to arrange a visit. You never know, you may end up lending a hand, and liking it, too!

If you have a story to tell, or an announcement to make, please email the editor.