Guyana theatre expert dies
Memorial services have been held, not only in Somerset, but also in Guyana for a man who spent the last years of his life living in Wookey Hole.
Frank Thomasson moved to the South American state in 1956 and over the years became an expert on the history of the theatre in the country and one of the leading experts, worldwide, on Guyanese culture.
Born in Manchester in 1923, Frank had no connection with Guyana, (then known as British Guiana), until 1956 when he moved from the UK to become personnel director at the large, British-owned sugar company that at that time played an influential role in the country's economy.
Educated at Selwyn College, Cambridge and with qualifications in Business Psychology, Frank soon realised that two of his passions, drama and theatre, could be used to assist the country in its drive towards independence.
Guyana was largely uninhabited before the seventeenth century when the Dutch established a trading post on the country's Atlantic coast. The Dutch soon found that the climate was suitable for growing sugar and since then the population has largely comprised descendants of African and Indian labour who came to the country to work on the sugar plantations.
Drama has always been important in these communities but it was the foundation of the Theatre Guild by Frank and his contemporaries in 1957 that transformed the theatre in Guyana.
It was also their efforts that led to the building of the first professional theatre in the country in 1960. Guyana gained independence from Britain in 1966.
In 2006, his adopted homeland awarded him their Cultural Association's Exemplary Award for a lifetime of service to the theatre and in 2009 his 500-page, encyclopaedic, A History of Theatre in Guyana 1800-2000, was published to critical acclaim.
Before illness curtailed his interests Frank was an active participant in productions at Wells Little Theatre, and was closely involved with the Wells Festival of Literature and the Wells Men's Breakfast Club.
Frank was pre-deceased by his second wife, who came from an important Guyanese theatre family, and is survived by his third wife, Aileen, who also has a background in Guyanese theatre, and his three sons.