Jock Shaw Interview: The History and Purpose of the Gang Show
Title
Jock Shaw Interview: The History and Purpose of the Gang Show
Date
4 September 2017
Description
Oral interview with Robert 'Jock' Shaw, one of the long-standing producers of the Gang Show, the biennial variety show at the Theatre Royal presented by Nottinghamshire Scouts and Guides.
What's the story?
Established at the Theatre Royal since 1953, the Gang Show involves around 200 young people from the Scouting and Guiding movements in the county.
The show is a mix of songs, dance and comedy sketches, which gives the performers an opportunity to hone their skills over a six-month period of rehearsal before the week-long show in the spring.
Born and brought up in West Bridgford, Robert ‘Jock’ Shaw was involved with the Scouts as a child and later became a Scout Leader, as well as one of the Gang Show producers.
Jock’s passion and enthusiasm for both theatre and his work with young people is evident throughout.
In this interview Jock provides a brief history of the Gang Show from its inception by Ralph Reader to becoming a truly global event:
I’ll tell you a bit about the history. Gang Shows were started by a fella called Ralph Reader. He’s the one with the name against the Gang Shows. After the War and all the entertainment, when the War had finished and the entertainers were out, he thought, well, perhaps we could do a show with boys? So he did a show in London. It was quite successful and the Gang Show was born. I won’t go into all that, but if I say that while we’re speaking, a Gang Show is happening somewhere around the world, as I speak. They reckon there’s a Gang Show every five minutes around the world somewhere. Whether it’s in a little scout hall or in a theatre, like us. So everywhere there’s a gang Show.
Now that Gang Show provides …. It’s an activity. I always say it’s an activity. People get carried away with “Theatre” and everything, but to me it’s another activity, whether it’s canoeing, whether it’s climbing, the Gang Show is the same. You have an opportunity to audition and we take 250 young people and put them on the stage. And I always say to these young people “Look, you’ve been here, you’ve rehearsed, you’ve made new friends, but when you go back to school next week, or whether you come to the Theatre Royal with your parents, you can turn round and go: I’ve been on there”. I can. I’ve been there on my own and I’m proud of the fact I’ve done that. So that’s 250 people working together over six months to put on a show here at the Theatre.
So whether it’s a small Gang Show in a small scout hut, on a small stage as big as this table or whether it’s the whole theatre, it’s exactly the same and it’s that opportunity to give them some confidence in going in front of an audience and in the case of the Theatre Royal, as you probably know, there are 1100 seats, I think, in the Theatre, with 2000 next door. So when you’ve got that many people looking at you for a whole week, which of course our production of the Gang Show does…
The show is a mix of songs, dance and comedy sketches, which gives the performers an opportunity to hone their skills over a six-month period of rehearsal before the week-long show in the spring.
Born and brought up in West Bridgford, Robert ‘Jock’ Shaw was involved with the Scouts as a child and later became a Scout Leader, as well as one of the Gang Show producers.
Jock’s passion and enthusiasm for both theatre and his work with young people is evident throughout.
In this interview Jock provides a brief history of the Gang Show from its inception by Ralph Reader to becoming a truly global event:
I’ll tell you a bit about the history. Gang Shows were started by a fella called Ralph Reader. He’s the one with the name against the Gang Shows. After the War and all the entertainment, when the War had finished and the entertainers were out, he thought, well, perhaps we could do a show with boys? So he did a show in London. It was quite successful and the Gang Show was born. I won’t go into all that, but if I say that while we’re speaking, a Gang Show is happening somewhere around the world, as I speak. They reckon there’s a Gang Show every five minutes around the world somewhere. Whether it’s in a little scout hall or in a theatre, like us. So everywhere there’s a gang Show.
Now that Gang Show provides …. It’s an activity. I always say it’s an activity. People get carried away with “Theatre” and everything, but to me it’s another activity, whether it’s canoeing, whether it’s climbing, the Gang Show is the same. You have an opportunity to audition and we take 250 young people and put them on the stage. And I always say to these young people “Look, you’ve been here, you’ve rehearsed, you’ve made new friends, but when you go back to school next week, or whether you come to the Theatre Royal with your parents, you can turn round and go: I’ve been on there”. I can. I’ve been there on my own and I’m proud of the fact I’ve done that. So that’s 250 people working together over six months to put on a show here at the Theatre.
So whether it’s a small Gang Show in a small scout hut, on a small stage as big as this table or whether it’s the whole theatre, it’s exactly the same and it’s that opportunity to give them some confidence in going in front of an audience and in the case of the Theatre Royal, as you probably know, there are 1100 seats, I think, in the Theatre, with 2000 next door. So when you’ve got that many people looking at you for a whole week, which of course our production of the Gang Show does…
Type
Oral interview
Location of item
Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall Nottingham
Rights
Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall Nottingham
Contributor
Interviewers: Julia Holmes & Sue Threakall
Transcriber: David Chilton
Transcriber: David Chilton
