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THE ALLEYNIAN 710
In his usual humble style, Peter holds dearest to his heart all the hundreds of OAs who have passed through his care and who now make money as jobbing actors, directors, writers, stage managers and set designers; there is hardly a West End show, a play or a film which doesn’t have some link to drama at the College. Even those pupils who had little interest in thespian ways have learnt and subsequently used the drama skills which Peter and his team have engrained in them over the decades to feel more confident in interviews or to craft business presentations. Peter’s all-time favourite production was the Britten opera Paul Bunyan , which he worked on in the mid-1990s with Michael Ashcroft as Musical Director. The review in Opera Today magazine called it ‘an exhilarating musical experience’, and the evidence of how this has stood the test of time is the pictures of the production that are still around the College today. As the department developed, Peter worked with students in some of the great theatrical spaces, including the Young Vic, the Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Olivier Theatre and the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. Over the years he has had to beg College teaching and support staff for favours in order, for example, to obtain and store chemicals (one assumes for explosions and fog), to borrow old wirelesses and to work out the maximum dimensions of a pond and weight of water so that it could sit on the stage without falling through. The parents, during his tenure, have been overwhelmingly supportive of all the College’s productions and have rightly noted the benefits their sons and daughters have gained through being part of the theatrical experience. Peter was Common Room President for six years, and his tenure was dramatically split into two halves, the first being the planning of the quatercentenary events, in which Peter played a pivotal role. The second part was no less important, as the College came to a grinding halt during the Covid pandemic. Leading the Common Room team and working with College leadership in order to navigate through the government guidelines was exhausting. The staff certainly felt safe in his hands, and in no small way they have Peter to thank for keeping everything together and having everyone’s best interests at heart. Notwithstanding his full-time job in the theatre Peter created time to be a fondly remembered form tutor. One of his forms included an expert pianist and during morning tutor time they could often be heard singing round the piano, whilst another tutor group treasure their ‘Jolly’s Home Dogs’ sweatshirts, which they have promised to wear whilst carrying his coffin at his funeral – probably the most morbid yet touching display of affection one could hope for. In 1994 Peter and his wife, Xanthe, went on an exchange to America. This experience expanded his horizons. He forged lifelong friendships in Chicago, bringing his American students back to the UK on tour with Antigone and Oedipus Rex , a double bill directed by Peter. All three of his boys, Louis, Archie and Gus, now in their twenties, are Old Alleynians; remarkably, they are still speaking to him despite him having taught them all Drama and Theatre Studies – a real testament to his parenting skills.
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PETER RECALLS THAT MANY COLLEAGUES IN THE PAST CONSIDERED DRAMA AN ECONOMIC BLACK HOLE AND THOUGHT THE THEATRE A WASTE OF MONEY. HIS STRENGTH, COMMITMENT AND DETERMINATION HAVE CHANGED THAT PERCEPTION ENTIRELY
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Last, and by no means least, Peter has found time to be on the advisory and governing bodies of the Globe Theatre and the Rose Playhouse, contributing his expert knowledge of the Elizabethan collection of manuscripts known as the Henslowe Papers. In this capacity he regularly works with academics and practitioners of the highest calibre, and despite his self-effacing demeanour, one knows that he is not out of his league but integral to the work. Having worked with Peter over the past two decades on projects such as Calamity Jane , Oh! What A Lovely War , Guys and Dolls and Kiss Me, Kate , I have experienced exactly the sort of man Peter is. Highly driven, focused at exactly the right times, inventive, witty, practical, and with high expectations of productions, he will no doubt tell you how many hours he has spent in mundane meetings regarding costumes and lighting for plays. I am looking forward to working with him on the much-postponed musical Me and My Girl in the Michaelmas term of 2022. When someone leaves an establishment having given such service, there is a tendency to say they will be missed. Experience says this is never the case; the College will, as it has for over 400 years, move on quickly. However, there is no question that the flourishing, nationally recognised Drama Department which Peter has built is his legacy, and will sit at the front and centre of College life for years to come. The College itself will always be grateful to Peter Jolly for his service, and he will be remembered as someone who had one of the most profound impacts, in the quietest of ways, on College life, certainly in modern times.
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