Spain

Greetings from The "Children Of Erin" Theatre Co.

A few weeks ago I traveled to Madrid and Pamplona to continue the research for my proposed play, Hemingway On Stage: The Road To Freedom. While in Spain, I had the pleasure of meeting two of the finest gentlemen I have ever known, Stephen Drake-Jones and Thomas Entwistle. These men took me under their very erudite wings and revealed the secrets of Spain to me.

Stephen Drake-Jones is the Chairman of the Wellington Society and one of the world's leading experts on the Duke of Wellington.

He is also an authority on The Prado, bullfighting, gourmet repasts, and all the haunts of Ernest Hemingway. I might also add that when I was attacked by Romanian gypsies in El Rastro, the street market, his bravery and boldness helped me to fight them off. It was a lesson well learned since I was attacked a second time when Stephen was not with me and, once again, using his technique, I scared the thieves away.

How wonderful it was to see the same paintings that Hemingway had viewed and enjoyed. Stephen had led art tours for many years and was able to fully explain the works of El Greco, Valazques, and Goya. From elongated saints and vivid colours, through the inbred deformed face of Philip IV, to my favourites...The Third Of May 1808: The Mass Execution at Principe Pio and the Black Paintings, possibly representative of Goya's nightmares and his abhorrence of a corrupt society.

Twelve bulls died for me (and a few thousand other people). Stephen has been an aficionado of the bullfights for almost thirty years and was able to explain every aspect of the spectacle. He was, in fact, able to anticipate every move of the President of the Corrida and would tell me seconds beforehand when the President would signal with a handkerchief for such moments as the exit of the picador. After the fight, I was treated to the less than appetite stirring scene of the slaughter of the bulls. In a totally professional and speedy manner, they were dealt with prior to their journey to restaurants and the poor. Later, when I attended another bullfight by myself and occupied an excellent barrera seat, I found that I lost any aversion that I might have had to the spectacle and by the end of the evening was cheering and clapping with the Madrilenos.

Stephen also showed me Hemingway's Madrid. As I looked up at the impressive height of the Telefonica building, I could almost imagine Hemingway at the top writing, "They are bombing Madrid. I can see the German planes and..." Chicote's with the famous knocking door of the prostitutes, The Valencia sherry bar where stories were gained with the price of a bottle, Botin's famous suckling pig, to the headquarters of Franco's infamous secret police...all these and many more turned Madrid and the Gran Via into a museum of the Spanish Civil War.

Thomas Entwistle is considered to be the leading authority on the battlefields of the Civil War and it was with great pleasure that I marched up Suicide Hill with him, stood in the actual trenches and caves of the war and even found a few pieces of shrapnel. Tom showed me where one member of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade had his ashes spread as I began to understand the depth of this great fight for freedom.

Tom is the man who arranged the reunions of the ALB and reunited them years later to commemorate their part in the Spanish Civil War. Today the battlefields are in danger of being overrun by developers with no sense of history. Is there any way we can help?

In the meantime, Charlie Nesser (deceased) of the Lincoln Brigade is reputed to have written a play about his experiences in Spain. Hopefully, Tom and I can track it down and arrange for some form of presentation in the future.

Should you plan to visit Spain, I can think of no better guides than Stephen and Tom. They have both helped me immeasurably and I believe that Hemingway On Stage will be much better because of their contribution. Research is on target and I expect to have a completed script early in the new year. Slides and soundtracks will be created while I block and memorize for a workshop in June. After the workshop, I expect to be in good shape to debut the play at The Hemingway Days Festival in Key West. Don't forget that all proceeds go to the scholarship fund for aspiring writers in the area schools.

Should you wish to contact Stephan Drake-Jones and Thomas Entwistle, you can do so through the Wellington Society.

Website: http://www.wellsoc.org e-mail: chairman@wellsoc.org

Stay tuned for my Idaho update, coming soon to a computer near you. Thanks again to Stephen and Tom.

Addendum: 1/17/2004:

I was devastated to learn of the death of Tom Entwistle. My time with him was precious and I miss him terribly. How often I looked forward to seeing him again and how often I dreamed of showing him my play Hemingway On
Stage. The play has turned into a vast epic and will require about five separate plays before it is completed. The Spanish Civil War section will probably be in play number three or four and it will contain moments
discussed with and inspired by Tom. That particular play will, in fact, be dedicated to Tom for he was the guardian of the battlefields, the living chronicle of the sights, the sounds, and the heroism that was the Lincoln
Brigade. Who, oh, who will carry on the legacy. I only pray that my play will do justice to Tom and to all that he stood tall for. Whenever and wherever you toast him, I raise my glass in unison. God speed and God bless, Tom.
 

Brian Gordon Sinclair

Artistic Director

The "Children of Erin" Theatre Co.

Box 337, Alliston, Ontario

Canada L9R 1V6

Tel: 705-435-4814

Fax: 705-435-1755

E-mail: sinclair4814@rogers.com

or

bgsin@csolve.net