A rally organised at short notice on Hastings seafront last Sunday with the aim of demonstrating solidarity with the Ukrainian people under attack from Putin’s troops attracted over 200 people, many donning the blue and yellow colours of the national flag. Speakers included Hastings Borough Council cabinet member Maya Evans, HCoS co-chair Polly Gifford, Dr Laurence, campaigning journalist Nadene Ghouri, and local residents with family and friends under bombardment in Ukraine. Differing views were expressed as to how the UK should respond militarily and diplomatically to the invasion, but there was universal support for more rapid and generous offers of assistance to refugees from the conflict. Advice was given that, apart from much-needed medical supplies and equipment, humanitarian aid would be best targeted by donations of cash rather than of bedding and clothing.

ALL PICS: Ann Chown

Gangster No 1 was first performed in 1995 at the Almeida Theatre. The revival is set to hit the Stables Theatre for three days beginning on 10 March. The play, set in the formidable underworld of the 1960s, features five characters: Young Gangster, Gangster 55, Freddie ‘the Butcher’ Mays, Bent Copper and Eddie the idiot. Now, with a name like Gangster No 1 you would expect to see violence and thuggery. But according to a press release, it is apparently about much more than mindless machismo. Evidently, some questions needed answering. HIP caught up with the director Francis Saunders a couple of days ago.

CREDIT: Paula Taylor

HIP: Hello Francis, how are you? 
Francis:  Yes, I am very well thanks. 

HIP: So, Gangster Number 1, can you tell me how this revival has come about? 
Francis:  To be honest it’s one of my top plays – always has been, and I was just desperate to have a crack at it. I loved Sexy Beast and 44 Inch Chest for the quality of writing and Gangster No 1 is the original fount of all that.

HIP: How did it come about?  We know the play has been out of circulation for many years.
Francis: (laughs) Well, I tracked down David Scinto on a social media platform and explained my passion for his work and within two days we were chatting in Brighton. We had lunch and both he and Louis agreed to let me revive the play. I then had to order a copy from a publisher in USA. It is out of print, in the UK.

HIP: So, what is Gangster Number 1? 
Francis: Well, it’s a play about a very complex individual who has many issues. He is troubled but, quite honestly, he is also a complete sociopath. Gangster believes he is in control of everything and tries to intimidate, with physical menace and warped psychology, to gain what he wants. The writing is very clever and direct, but there is a lot of sub-text for the actors to bring to life. To be honest, any of the main parts is an actor’s dream. 

HIP: What about the other characters? Can you elaborate without giving too much away?  
Francis: Gangster’s nemesis, Freddie Mays, is a man sentenced to twenty two years in prison for a murder he did not do. Gangster believes his release will end in a showdown for the top spot. Eddie is a jabbering idiot, but a useful one, that Gangster manipulates. Bent Copper is a shallow, remorseful man who sold his soul to Gangster.  Mel is haunted by memories of her dead friend Karen. It is a volatile mix. 

HIP: This all sounds very intriguing. 
Francis:  It’s going to be great. I have pulled in some great talent: it will be a play that you will definitely remember. It’s got the music, costume and high-energy attitude from the 60s: in fact, I feel excited just thinking about it all. 

HIP: I gather you are playing the character Gangster yourself, as well as directing. 
Francis: Yes, I hope that doesn’t sound arrogant. But I feel a special connection to this play. My take is that Gangster is a repressed homosexual who has a love for his nemesis, Freddie, but he has not addressed these feelings, or possibly can’t understand them. We forget that the sixties, for all its cliched reputation as ‘swinging’, was actually quite tightly buttoned up. The result is anger, paranoia and violent behaviour. Although I must add that you see no violence in this play; the psychological violence is all in the text. The dialogue will take you to strange places. It’s a tough role to play. 

HIP: Jonathan Linsley is co-directing and Nadene Ghouri producing. Tell us more. 
Francis: Yes, I was chatting with my mate Bill Fellows and he suggested Jonathan to co-direct. You see with film its different: you can watch performances back again and again.  But on stage you cannot. You need another pair of eyes. So, we are working together. It’s fabulous. I was a big fan of Jonathan’s work on ‘Last of the Summer Wine.’  Nadene and I have been working on a project together for a while now: a feature film. So, creating this team was a no-brainer really.

HIP: Well, Francis, thanks for your time. I guess you have a vintage Jag waiting outside?
Francis: I couldn’t possibly say.  

• For tickets please call The Stables Theatre on 01424 423221 or go to www.stablestheatre.co.uk Performances 10, 11 and 12 March.

I volunteered at one of the Hastings Literary Festival events recently – the Kino 24th September – at which a panel discussed refugees in Britain and promoted the book Refugee Tales. One of the contributors, Bidisha, spoke about the endless form-filing involved and how refugees are set up to fail, often missing deadlines for paperwork as they are moved on to a new address while the paperwork needed sits unopened at their old address. 

She read us M’s tale from the book. M declared himself not wanted even in his own country much less anywhere else. M’s forte was his skill with languages, translating for fellow refugees when needed and being told by hotel staff, at least, how he would be missed whenever he was moved on. 

Simon Smith read another tale, this time of a man using and improving his cooking skills. And Nadene Ghouri reduced the audience – and herself – to tears, talking about her recent trip to Afghanistan and the backward step that has been taken there. The panel’s chair, David Herd, commented on the many skills refugees bring to this country – yet they are not allowed to use them as working here is forbidden while they wait and move and wait and move.

Nadene Ghouri at the Kino
CREDIT: Caitlin Lock for Hastings Literary Festival

A week later I was in Scarborough visiting friends. After a day out in Whitby, we decided to have a drink at The Grand Hotel before heading back to our B&B. The building was indeed grand, but it wasn’t the sedate place I’d imagined. No piano bar here! Instead, it was a hive of humanity and noise, the huge reception area taken up with groups of adults; and there were children running around excitedly and going up and down the impressive staircase. Bingo was about to start in one of the former ballrooms, and in the bar downstairs, rather than cocktails, it was serving bottomless quantities of tea and coffee from flasks. It was Middle-East-meets-British-coach-trip-holiday. 

We puzzled over this demographic as we had our drinks. Then, back upstairs waiting for our taxi, a group of girls aged six or seven, some veiled, ran in and out of the main door. One of them, in a pink tracksuit, came over and stared up at me and said in accented English, her face serious, “Your back is open.” 

“What?” I said, puzzled as to what she meant and why she was talking to me. “Your bag,” she repeated pointing to my shoulder. “Is open.” 

[The girl] smiled back, her face lighting up. It was a beautiful moment.

“Oh!” I let out in surprise, shifting my small rucksack off my shoulder and zipping it up. “Thank you!” She moved away and I caught her eye as she rejoined her friends. I smiled and gave her a thumbs up. She smiled back, her face lighting up. It was a beautiful moment.

Afterwards in a taxi, the friendly driver told us how The Grand is no longer ‘grand’: how it had gone downhill and currently housed a lot of refugees from Afghanistan; how we should have gone to The Palm Court Hotel next door. I listened as I silently disagreed, thinking of the sweet girl in pink. 

I wondered how long she’d been here and about her parents – what skills had they brought to this country that they weren’t being allowed to use? When would they be moved on? What forms are they filling in? I keep thinking about that Afghan girl. I’m glad I met her. I hope she blossoms here in Britain, and I hope our blinkered government allows her parents to blossom too.

HIP: Can you tell me about the feature film you are due to shoot in 2022?
Francis: It’s a project I’ve been working on for a few years. Recently, during the Covid pandemic, I teamed up with local producer and co-writer Nadene Ghouri and I’m pleased to say we are now starting to get traction. 

HIP: Can you tell us what it’s about? 
Francis: Basically, it’s about the choices and decisions that affect our lives. A young guy gets seven years for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. On his release he tries to reconcile with his family, which proves very difficult. It’s a bit of a tale of woe – and love story – with a strong dramatic thread. 

Francis with his crew

HIP: I know you used to fight professionally. Are there fight scenes in this movie? 
Francis: Yes absolutely – but not the usual cage fighting stuff you see. We’re doing a few things that should change the way fights are seen in film or TV.

HIP: How did you get into directing?
Francis: When I was acting, I entered a competition for the BBC to write and direct. Two months layer I was directing a short I wrote for the BBC and it kind of went from there.

HIP: Tell me about the acting.
Francis: Yes, I used to tread
the boards in the theatre. I did the usual jobbing acting work: East Enders, The Bill and some feature films. 

HIP: Who did you play in East Enders?
Francis: I was Janine Butcher’s punter – she was on the game at that time. I turned up causing trouble and finally got turfed out of town. 

HIP: So what have you been working on apart from your film? 
Francis: I’ve been working on some shorts that I wrote and directed over the last few years. And recently on Is it paranormal? a ghost hunting show with Jamie De’Ath – we have a Production office together in St Leonards. Currently I’m getting ready to raise funds for a short film: The Window Box – about an old war hero who lives in a tower block with only a tiny flower bud for company. 

HIP: Ghost show? Tell us more. 
Francis: Yes, it was great – I won’t give it away but when it’s released it will be the talk of the town for sure, and yes, there were ghosts.

HIP: So is Jamie a film maker also? 
Francis: Yes he is. We work on everything together. Very talented guy.

HIP: Tell me about your background growing up and fighting? 

Francis: Well growing up was like anyone else – it had its hardships – being brought up in a single-parent family in the heart of North London. But, considering the awful plight of people fleeing Afghanistan and other countries, I think I had it fairly easy. I got into fighting at a young age and found I was pretty good at it, as I had a very tactical mind. Most people think it’s barbaric but it’s very disciplined and we all have respect for each other. I trained at UFC training camp in the USA with legendary Randy Couture (US actor, retired mixed martial artist). 

Francis Directing

HIP: I heard you fought in Hastings a few years ago?
Francis: Yes I fought in Hastings and won a title – KO the guy in 13 seconds! 

HIP: You work with kids? That’s something not a lot of people are aware of. 
Francis: Yes, I work with youth offending teams and the police and help kids follow on the straight and narrow through martial arts. Now we’re developing film courses too. 

HIP: Do you have trouble with these kids?
Francis: No, they’re good at heart. I’m from the same type of background so I know them, and I can deal with them easily.

HIP: You also write for theatre – is that correct? 
Francis: Yes, I had a play at the Stables Theatre and I’m currently working on another. The theatre director, Neil Selman, is a great guy and always keen to help develop new talent.

HIP: And you’re on Bexhill radio as a presenter…
Francis: Yes I run a show called The Short and Curly, on Saturday mornings. It’s a great show interviews music etc …

HIP: Did you study and do well at school and college? 
Francis: (Laughing). No. I left school at 15 to get a job. In our house you either brought money in or you didn’t live there anymore. I fell into acting. A friend was shooting a short and the guy playing the lead villain didn’t show. Suddenly I’m in front of a camera and it went from there. I got an agent and then decided I needed to refine the craft. 

HIP: Refine the craft?
Francis: Well it’s easy to stand in front of a camera and say a few lines. Some people think that’s all there is to it. Wrong. You need to be able to sight read lines and be able to get the words off the page and delivered fast in an audition, and by fast I don’t mean speed talking, I mean you have to see the words, remember them, deliver them and put feeling into them at an audition. That’s not easy and it takes time to refine. There’s also timing. Most people who aren’t trained actors just learn their own lines. But you need to remember and learn the other actors’ lines – otherwise how will you know when to deliver your words at the correct time? I also spent time script-writing etc. But my producer/co-writer Nadene is great – she pulls the best out of me and we get it onto paper.

HIP: Any advice to aspiring film makers? 
Francis: Just do It! Don’t put obstacles in the way. Everyone has a smart phone so everyone can make a movie. Even you!

Previewed by Judy Parkinson

Transcultural influences web

The international artist Patrick Altes has invited me to his studio for a conversation about his new show TOLERANCE. I peek through the door to be greeted with a visual treat. I see canvases, some half-finished works in progress, some bubble-wrapped ready for dispatch, and there is an abundance of objects, perched on shelves, draped over tables and piled on the floor: vases, ladders, beaded fabrics, religious figurines, balls of string, bull dog clips – bric a brac to some, inspiration to Altes.

He explains this jungle of things is not simply a bunch of found objects picked up over the years, but a personal collection that makes him tick. “Not so much me, but an extension of me,” he explains. There are gnarled twigs and branches from ancient trees that resemble the organic shapes he includes in his paintings. One foxy twig is camply fashioned with a diamante necklace, its bulbous green eyes staring out, its head at a jaunty angle. There’s non-organic stuff too, a purple gymnast’s fit-ball balances on the back of a broken dining chair. “I love the surrealistic flavour of the Wave of Dreams gallery and that has influenced my choice of works for the show,” he says.

Stories 6

These are the inanimate inspirations to some of the visual devices in his work. I ask him about the conceptual stuff and the show title, TOLERANCE. Altes’ somewhat peripatetic life has framed his opinions and passions. He has stared discrimination in the face and his heartfelt objections to such inhumanities explode out of his work.

We, the People

Altes was born in Algeria to French parents, and when they returned to live in Paris they were called pieds-noirs, the derogatory name given to white settlers, back in France after Algerian independence in 1962. This was an early taste of intolerance. Adding to the personal pain of insult, Altes delved further into the downright discriminatory when he spent two years in South Africa in the early 1980s. He worked as a French teacher at the University of Fort Hare, alma mater of luminaries including Oliver Tambo and Nelson Mandela. It was immediately clear to Altes that this was not a fair country. “It was a real eye opener. You have to fight for fairness,” he says. He experienced the height of apartheid tensions when certain students were disappeared after army round ups. Most lecturers were white and all the students were black – a snapshot of society as it was then.

After Africa, Altes became a leading light in the emerging Franco-Algerian art movement and his passion to shine a light on unjust, brutal and discriminatory societies burns bright in all his work.

Gondwana

He is collected internationally, and twice won the prestigious Leverhulme Trust award. He has participated in many international art events including the 4th biennale of Mediterranean Contemporary Arts in Oran 2017 and Art 16 in London 2016. He has works in the Museum of Modern Arts of Oran (MAMO), and the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Arts of Algiers (MAMA).

The well-travelled Altes thinks Britain is one of the most liberal countries in the world with its legal system, its acceptance of minorities and its tolerance. He wants it to stay that way. Altes is grateful to Arts Council England for supporting this exhibition and his aim is to extend the conversation to a wide audience. He will do just that on 30th October at 7pm, with a panel discussion at A Wave of Dreams on the theme of ‘Tolerance, Migration, Identity’ with Nadene Ghouri (journalist and broadcaster) and S. I. Martin (author and historian).

• A Wave of Dreams Arts Lab Kings Road, St Leonards, 17th October –10th November. (Private View Wednesday 16th October 6.00pm–8.00pm). Free entry

This show is a prequel to the artist’s forthcoming major solo show at the Gerald Moore Gallery, London (19th November – 25th January 2020)