Director
Jonathan Lewis
Geoffrey Crass
a special man
Geoffrey Crass was a very special man.
He and Barbara arrived in Easingwold in the early 1990s and seeing the town had a theatre company, quickly contacted Barbara Topping and very quickly had his feet under the table!
Geoffrey and Barbara at their Bristol home
Many plays followed. Starring or directing, Geoffrey was in When we are Married, Bedroom Farce, On Monday Next, Habeas Corpus, Straight and Narrow, Bedroom Farce, Alan Bennett’s Wind in the Willows and Fallen Angels.
But of course Geoffrey was involved in theatre before arriving in our midst: many happy years at Middlesbrough Little Theatre (where he met and became friends with Brian Goodyear) as well as appearances in many drama festivals up and down the country which established him as a powerful force in the world of amateur theatre. Many directors have tempted him into the profession over the years, but he decided instead to remain working in the care system and to maintain professional standards on the amateur stage.
After moving to Bristol some years ago he continued working in theatre in the city until well into his 80’s.
Geoffrey died on Wednesday 19th February. He was 93.
A Night at the Panto in April will now be staged in his honour. He loved to laugh!
David Goodwin
February 2020