Prismatic Reflection

Many Happy Returns.........

    ...... 21 Years In The Village.

    I was looking through some old files the other day, and came across a piece I'd  been asked to write for inclusion in a book ‘Many Happy Returns: 21 Years In The Village,’ relating to 21 years of Prisoner conventions held in Portmeirion.

   My first Prisoner convention was back in 1989, and the only person I actually knew there was Max Hora who I had met in Portmeirion the year before when I was staying at Portmeirion as a guest. I joined in the election parade during the election re-enactment as a village citizen shouting "Six for two, six for two, - vote, vote vote, 6,6,6,6,6,6,6,6,....." And was a pawn standing of the chessboard during the re-enactment of the human chess match, but didn't move on the board, I made sure I didn't!

   At the 1990 convention I was actually given 4 parts to act in re-enactments, one as No.6 in a re-enactment of the scene between No.6 and No.2 as they were talking together on top of the cliffs as in The Chimes of Big Ben. Again as No.6 in the scene where No.6 is listening to a radio and No.2 and 240 comes along to disturb him in Dance of the Dead. The third re-enactment, and again from Dance of the Dead where No.2 tries to get No.6 a girl for Carnival, "Now they're attractive and unattached......" But No.6 chooses No.240, I could never figure out why! The fourth part was in one of the main re-enactments, as the reporter for The Tally Ho - No.113.

1994

   So having been told at the 1990 Prisoner convention that I could be the Prisoner-No.6, and having been told that I look like Patrick McGoohan, I contacted the organiser of the 1991 Prisoner convention, the 1992, and 1993 Prisoner conventions but without response. I was not happy about this, as I knew I could act better than those who preceded me in Prisoner based re-enactments. Well previously those acting had actually been reading from their scripts for one thing! Anyway in 1994 I was actually contacted by the new organisers of the Prisoner convention for that year, and was asked if I would play the role of Number 6 in both the election parade and human chess match re-enactments, as they wanted someone who could authentically play the role of the Prisoner-No.6, and with a certain professionalism, and that person was me. Not only that, but if my wife Morag and I, could organise other re-enactments they would be most grateful.

    Apart from organising both the Election parade and human chess re-enactments, there was the mind reading scene from The Schizoid Man, and the fencing scene from the same episode. And it was the first time that this scene had been re-enacted. With real fencing foils and face masks before an enthralled crowd of Prisoner conventioneers. I can also say with pride that the election parade re-enacted on the Sunday afternoon was the best attended election parade ever, with some 200 plus people taking part, both conventioneers and day visitors to Portmeirion alike. In fact many of the day visitors were convinced that I was in actual fact Patrick McGoohan. "There he is" some day visitors were heard to say "There's Patrick McGoohan." But there is one thing which now was happening, professionalism in acting performances, and everyone learned the words of their scripts. So no more reading directly from their scripts.

   Next time we move on to 1995.

I'll be seeing you