It is with sadness and deep remorse that I write this post about my friend and colleague Nick Strudwick.
Nick was known best known for directing plays at the Abbey Theatre where I work in St Albans for the Company of Ten to which I am currently a member of. He directed plays such as "Eclipsed", "My Boy Jack" and "The Master Builder" to name a few of the many shows he put on as part of the company.
I got to know Nick proper on Eclipsed. But the odd thing is, I could sware I knew him before then as I have met him on many occasions prior to this. But when you work with someone for a considerable number of months on say a play, for example, you really do get to know them a little. You come to rehearsals and watch them work three - four times a week, so get to know a bit about them and get to see how they work. Nick was a very talented and very human director, he would work with all of his actors solidly and really get them to tap into the pure heart of their character to help them give, the best performance possible. One of the things he liked to do was 'hot seating' and just sit his cast members down in a circle and get them to talk about their characters, and by doing that, I think this helped the cast identify themselves with the character that they were playing.
He was a loving, kind, gentle man with a wonderful sense of humour and was always very generous with his time. I don't just mean just with rehearsal time, but with all of it, and with everyone he worked with cast and crew.
I haven't known him for very long, a year and a half I should think. And there are other people who know him better than I do and to whom he was a great friend to.
After Eclipsed I would bump into Nick occasionally and have a chat with him about upcoming projects or related work he's doing and stuff like that. When Rope came about I was one of the first people he asked to help work on it which I felt very humble in him actually wanting me to help him. Having read the play in advance to this offer, It seemed to me a great challenge, there was a great story in it, and there was a lot of opportunity to make it another cracker and if anyone could achieve that it would Nick himself.
He made a very promising start with the production, however, he was taken ill and had to leave the rehearsals and eventually he finally passed away today.
I'm very saddened by this news, as I'm sure are all of the people he knew and worked with over the years. He had many dear friends and my thoughts are with his family during this terrible time.
It is hard to believe that he will not be with us anymore, and a great shame that he would not see "Rope" completed. But we are doing what we can in the very few rehearsals we have left to focus and concentrate and put on the best show possible in his memory.
But the people you love, Ronald Montgomery said "The People you love become ghosts inside you. And like this, you keep them alive".
Rest peacefully Nick.
