Dona Pepa’s Victor Budds looks back on his childhood stardom in the production ‘Let’s Make An Opera’ by late Composer Benjamin Britten in 1952.
By AndrewAtkinson EXCLUSIVE
“I was one of the children from East Anglia chosen to appear in ‘Let’s Make An Opera’, 71 years ago,” said Victor.
At the time Victor was just 13, having auditions, at school, and at Benjamin Britten’s House at Aldeburgh.
Additional auditions were with Basil Douglas, Head of the English Opera Group, and singer Ian Wallace.
“I recall Britten’s housekeeper bringing us hot scones,” said Victor, whose final audition was at the English Opera Group’s HQ at Swiss Cottage, London.
“I shared the child lead role of Sammy the Sweep with another boy, and Ian Wallace was the Sweep Master.
“I was given a contract for £10 a week,” said Victor, who spent three months doing rehearsals at Edgeware, Middlesex.
“We had to take a pair of slippers, in order to save wear and tear in the house, under the the watchful eye of Matron Mrs Joyner,” he said.
‘Let’s Make An Opera’ ran at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, for four months, two weeks at the New Wimbledon Theatre and in Hull for a month.
“After the rehearsals we had to continue doing our schooling, and after the daily sessions we had to have a bath, tea, and off to the Theatre,” reflected Victor.
“We were allowed home every fourth week, for a day. I was put on a train to Lowestoft to meet my parents on Sunday morning and I had to be back again that day,” he said.
Victor served his engineering apprenticeship after his only taste of stardom and became the owner of a successful garage business in Gorleston.
Composer, Baron Benjamin Britten who died in 1976, was made a Freeman of Lowestoft in 1951.
One of his manuscripts ‘A Hymn to the Virgin’ was given its first performance in 1931, in St John’s Church (now demolished) at a Lowestoft Musical Society Concert.
“I always wonder what would have happened if I had carried on in Showbusiness,” said Victor, 80, who also appeared in amateur productions and with dance bands at the South Pier on Saturday nights.
