Linda Evans – an obituary

Olveston Parish Players are sad to announce the loss of our greatly esteemed Director Emeritus, Linda Evans who died earlier this year.

Linda was born in 1938 in Weston-super-Mare, and as a child moved to Bristol, where she attended the Duncan House School.  Her childhood was shaped by regular trips to the theatre with her mother; indeed attending shows that premiered during that post-war golden era, Kiss Me Kate, South Pacific, Guys and Dolls, The King and I, shows that would form part of the soundtrack to her long life; musicals she would reimagine both as leading lady, then as director, in the decades to follow.

Linda won a place at the Old Vic theatre school where it was a heady time of socialising and serious study.  At her 18th birthday party she was toasted (loudly!) by a young Brian Blessed.   After graduation, Linda had spells working at the York Theatre Royal and in London before she married and brought up her young family.

Linda enjoyed a long and successful career teaching. She taught drama at the West Wing School, directed many productions at Tockington Manor, and at the height of her career taught for many years at the prestigious Westonbirt School as Head of Drama, teaching GCSE and A level, Lamda exams and, of course, directed all the main school plays and musicals with much success.

In early 1968 Linda got involved in the founding of the Thornbury Amateur Operatic Society.  Their debut production was Oklahoma ; Linda was the leading lady for which she won a Rose Bowl. Linda was integral to the company’s success for the next 25 years. The shows might change; the costumes may be different, but there is one constant – Linda at the centre, with grace, elegance and a radiant smile. Linda was an exceptional all-round actress - she acted in and directed innumerable plays: Streetcar Named Desire, Amadeus, Noises Off and, a very favourite, Checkov’s The Seagull.

Linda was instrumental in the founding of Thornbury Children’s Theatre which she led for several years. She sponsored the “Operetta” award at the Rose Bowls and was a long-standing adjudicator for NODA. As a Director, Linda was adept at developing exceptionally talented actors who made early bows under her direction before becoming successful professionals, including her middle daughter who sang opera, professionally, for many years in Germany (under her mother's maiden name Kate Radmilovic), culminating as Carlotta in Phantom of the Opera, in the London West End. But she took the greatest satisfaction from coaxing out a performance from absolute beginners. In fact, she gleaned just as much satisfaction, perhaps even more, when first-timers hit their own heights, than she did from her leading performers.  

One of Linda’s greatest gifts was her ability to discern nuance in a script that most of us would fail to spot if we read it a dozen times. She had a quite extraordinary ability to envisage the end performance when all she had was a cast-list and an empty stage.  When Michangelo was asked how he created one of his masterpieces, he replied, ‘I saw the angel in the marble, and carved until I set him free.’  That always seemed to be how Linda conceived her shows – working at a level of insight and inspiration beyond the rest of us.

Linda eventually retired from teaching and was introduced to Olveston Parish Players when she directed a community show to commemorate the Millennium.  After that she transformed the Parish Players during the course of almost 25 years during which time we staged most of the classic Musicals and an occasional light opera. Last year Linda selected for us the revival of Brigadoon but unfortunately she was too ill to complete the Direction. Instead she organised the smoothest of transitions and Brigadoon was successfully staged under our new Director.

Linda was a loyal member of Olveston Church and a mainstay of the choir and was often asked to read the main lesson at our village carol service. As Linda knew more than anyone, if you have the privilege of being on stage with other people, you know that that it can be the place where you feel most alive. With the energy, the excitement, the intimacy of performing alongside others and the total absorption of singing in harmony with your friends, the stage can be a place where heaven meets earth! Linda will be greatly missed.

Richard Newley with thanks to Paul Harrod