After a lifetime treading the boards of musical amateur theatre Tom Mair is bowing out.
And it would appear his love of musical theatre is something of a family affair.
Together with wife Shirley the pair, formerly of Lindley, have nurtured a life long passion for the arts and spent more than 40 years – both on and off stage – with Longwood Amateur Operatic Society.
“In those days we met at Longwood Mechanics Hall. We had our own band, did our own scenery. We had about 50 members,” said Tom, 80, who has recently stepped down as the society’s president.
And due to his previous stage roles with Marsden Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society Tom swiftly became immersed in the society and in his words ‘was hoisted onto the committee’.
Numerous productions followed before a change in venue – to a former Gentlemen’s establishment – on Venn Street saw the curtain go up on a production of Irene in 1987.
When the society later moved to perform at the then newly-built Lawrence Batley Theatre it was an off-the-cuff remark which Shirley said summed up her husband’s talents.
“I played in Show Boat and the directors of the company I was working for at the time were in the audience. Afterwards one of them said, ‘What’s Tom doing working for us when he can sing like that.”
But despite his obvious talent Tom never felt compelled to turn professional and Shirley says he is actually shy off stage which perhaps stopped him to pushing the West End stage.
“An agent saw me on stage and gave me his card, he was based in Hull but I never phoned him.
“Shirley wanted me to give it a go in London before we had the children but I was more cautious.”
Instead Tom took ‘the safe’ option as he put it, and juggled his career – rising the ranks in sales roles in the textiles industry before becoming a director – alongside his hobby and passion for musical theatre.
Music was clearly a constant in his life from early on. He affectionately recalls when he was a young curly haired boy being placed on the fish shop counter to sing by his mother, who was an excellent contralto herself.
Later the family moved to Slaithwaite due to his father’s job as a policeman. There, after only six singing lessons, his teacher told him: “You don’t want to be a singer, you’re a crooner’, much to his delight and dismay of his mother an excellent contralto.
In his 20s, after a stint with Colne Valley Music Choir – he was one of their youngest members – Tom joined Marsden Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society, the start of a 50 year association with amateur operatics in Huddersfield.
He took on variety of roles, both lead parts and chorus lines, before joining Longwood.
But Tom’s fate could have been very different after contracting polio during the epidemic in 1949.
“There were four boys in the area who had polio. Two died, one was in a wheelchair. Tom was the only one who managed to keep going,” said Shirley.
Tom was paralysed down his left side by the disease and vividly remembers being confined in Mill Hill Hospital, then an isolation hospital.
“I spent a lot of time in Mill Hill. There was a boy in the next cubicle in an iron lung.
“It was terrifying hearing this thing clanking up and down. In the middle of the night, the iron lung stopped and he had died.”
After some ‘tough love’ from Shirley, the rock whose support he says has enabled him to do so much in life, he was cajoled ‘to get a grip on life again’.
When they had children they both went to different societies – Tom to Woodhouse and Shirley to Lindley – to ensure babysitting duties were covered.
But as their children grew up they were reunited on stage once more – often played opposite each other – creating a friendly society which thrived.
Shirley, who directed her first production for Longwood, Underneath The Arches in 1986, said: “It was a case of everyone mucked in.
Tom added: “I’ve been a great believer in getting the youngsters involved.
“I played Pontious Pilate in Jesus Christ Superstar at the LBT in 2005.
“It was so well received with great reviews and to see the audiences’ enjoyment, I just thought I wanted to go out on a high.”
But he remained as chairman until the mid 90s when he was appointed president, a capacity he has held until April.
Tom openly admits in recent years societies are struggling due to tough economic times.
“Amateur dramatics is constantly raising the standard and with that comes increased overheads. It’s more like running a business. You need an orchestra, royalties and other costs which run into thousands.
“No one in it wants to admit it but it is tough times for amateur dramatics.
“We had to look in 2011 at changing the production due to costs. It is an unknown future.”
But when he stepped back from himself appearing on stage he continued to shape youngsters’ futures both in his own family and for the society.
Their son Steven and daughter Sue both took roles with Longwood Amateurs – with Steven playing many of the parts previously played by his father and later sharing the stage with wife Joanne. She later turned professional in her early teens and her dancing took her all over the world before she returned to Huddersfield and married Tony.
But the Mair family’s love of the stage has also been passed to the third generation with grandchildren Anna, 21, and Louise, 17, (Steven and Joanne’s children), and Thomas, 17, and Emily, 14 (Sue and Tony’s children.)
And (keen not to leave anyone out) Steven and Joanne’s oldest son Simon, 23, is pursuing other talents and is studying for a PHD in Surrey.
Anna made her debut lead at LBT in Annie Get Your Gun aged 10, and has recently graduated from London Theatre School. Thomas is studying Film and Media at college and Louise is pursuing singing and dancing as is Emily who is rehearsing for Longwood Amateurs’ next production Oliver!
Although Tom has now stepped down as president (but has been made honorary vice-president), he assisted directors Jane Davison and Neil Broadbent with auditions for the October production of Oliver!
“One of the boys asked me if I was Fagin, I said ‘no, but I wish I was’.
The production will be staged October 1-5 at LBT.
For more information contact LBT box office on 01484 430528.
