I went to see a play a few months ago.  You’ll probably not have heard of it.
 
It was called “Their Very Own And Golden City”, by Arnold Wesker. It’s a story about a man called Andrew Cobham, an architect with a vision and a passion – to build a beautiful place for people to live, and work, and play, and dream.

No reason you should have come across the play, I suppose. It’s rarely been put on in the UK since the original production in 1966 with Ian McKellen in the lead role. The production I saw was the first in Britain for many, many years.

It was astonishingly well-written, and it’s a wonder that it’s not performed more regularly.

I saw the play at a Drama School.  East Fifteen, to be precise. It was one of the last performances before all of the newborn actors are thrown onto the streets and left to fend for themselves. 

Everyone in that production is now putting miles of pavement behind them, auditioning for acting work in the real world. Some of them will make it. Some of them won’t.

One of them I’m sure will do well, though. The man that played Andy Cobham in 2006.

My brother, Rafe Beckley.

Immensely talented.

Watch out for him.