Celebrities who appeared at the Kenton No.10 Sarah Churchill

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Henley Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society

Affiliated to the National Operatic & Dramatic Association. Registered Charity 259404.

President: Simon Williams.

simon williams our President HAODS was formed in 1922 and each year usually puts on two musicals and a play at Henley's Kenton Theatre and, every other year at an open-air venue. Our major shows are the musicals, usually one around April and again in November. Productions of plays varies, but we always have an entry into the Kenton Drama Festival.

We are fortunate to own the well-equipped Green Room, behind the Kenton, which is where we hold our rehearsals and social events; our extensive wardrobe is also stored there, in a recently built extension. Rehearsals usually take place three nights a week for large productions, which increase to Sunday rehearsals closer to the production date. Readings and our auditions are generally open to all. If you are a non-member and are fortunate enough to be cast in a show, you will be required to join as a performing member.

The Kenton Theatre is a Regency gem, opened in 1805, set in the heart of Henley-on-Thames. The fourth oldest working theatre in the country, the Kenton’s two hundred and thirty four seat auditorium has a warm, friendly and cosy intimacy that makes it a perfect performance space for both HAODS's large scale musicals and intimate plays. Kate Winslet and the West End's Oliver, Harry Stott are just two of the many stars who trod the Kenton stage at an early age, Harry having appeared in our production of Singin' in the Rain in 2004.

New members are always welcome – whether as budding actors, or to help backstage with set building, costumes or props – or maybe just as a supporter to enjoy the social functions. Drop into one of our Coffee Mornings, Club Room Lunches or come and see a production. You will have the warmest of welcomes and the best of times if you stay! Click here to Join Us.

Vice Presidents
Mr M Chalcroft His Worship the Mayor of Henley Mr J Luker
Mr R Hardy CBE His Worship the Mayor of Falaise Mr J A R Yeates
Mr Simon Langton Mr J Yeates Mrs A Luker

Life Members
Nansi Diamond Mary Reece

NODA Long Service Awards
1977 Mrs V Barter 1983 Mr JAR & Mrs J Yeates
1976 Mr J & Mrs A Luker 1990 Mrs J Taylor

Click here to view a list of all the Henley Operatic shows from 1922 to today

Celebrities who appeared at the Kenton No.10 Sarah Churchill

Written by Bill Port

No.10 Sarah Churchill - Actress

Born Sarah Millicent Hermione Spencer-Churchill on 7^th October 1914, she was the third child of Winston Churchill (later to become War-time Prime Minister) and his wife Clementine. She grew up in the family home in London and, after several visits to the theatre, decided that she wanted to be an actress. At the age of 22 she married Victor Oliver von Samek (better known as the comedy actor Vic Oliver) and began a career on the stage.

In 1941 she appeared in the West End in He Found a Star , then joined the WAAF and was posted to the RAF Signals Station at Medmenham where the RAF Medmenham Repertory Company, in addition to their duties, entertained the officers and men on the station as well as some of the local population. In 1945 they had the opportunity to present a new comedy by W. Gordon Duncalf, Squaring the Triangle, and decided to present it at the theatre in Henley then called the Playhouse. The play was a significant one for Sarah. She had recently divorced her husband and the plot of the play was about broken marriages and near-divorce.

HTML clipboardPerformances ran from the 10th to the 15th December with Sarah in the lead. The Henley Standard reported :- "Sarah Churchill, daughter of the former Prime Minister, sparkles brilliantly through the play with her attractive voice and personality. She has the gift of making the audience await her every entrance." On the Wednesday evening the performance was watched by Mrs Winston Churchill, Miss Mary Churchill, Major Randolph Churchill, Mr and Mrs Duncan Sandys and the American Ambassador (J.G. Winant). There seems to have been more celebrities in the audience than there were on the stage! After her demob Sarah Churchill continued to appear in West End plays and in films. She is particularly remembered for her appearance in the film Royal Wedding with Fred Astaire. She also had her own television show. She died on 24th September 1982.

The following is an extract from wikipedia
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Churchill_%28actress%29)

Sarah Millicent Hermione Tuchet-Jesson, Baroness Audley, usually known as Sarah Churchill (7 October 1914 - 24 September 1982), was a British actress and dancer.

She was born in London, England, the second daughter of future Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Clementine Churchill: she was the third of the couple's five children. Sarah was named after Churchill's ancestor, Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough.

Sarah Spencer-Churchill married three times:

Victor Oliver von Samek A comedian and musician known as Vic Oliver (1936-1945) (divorced)
Anthony Beauchamp (1949-1957) (widowed)
Henry Tuchet-Jesson, 23rd Baron Audley (1962-1963) (widowed)

She is fondly remembered for her role in the film Royal Wedding (1951) as Anne Ashmond, starring opposite Fred Astaire. In the same year, she had her own television show. She also appeared in He Found a Star (1941), All Over The Town (1949), Fabian of the Yard (1954) and Serious Charge (1959).

She appeared in a London revival of Shaw's Pygmalion in the 1950s but drink had become a problem. She was arrested for making a scene in the street on a number of occasions and even spent a short spell on remand in Holloway prison. She is very frank about this in her 1981 autobiography Keep on Dancing.

Sarah Churchill died at 67, she is buried with her parents and siblings at St Martin's Church, Bladon, near Woodstock, Oxfordshire.[1]

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