Pocock exits stage left, after 32 years with Players
Jeffrey Pocock has taken his final bow as volunteer for the local Greenwood Players’ drama group after an exceptional 32 years of service.
First as a military child, then as a Royal Air Force medic, Pocock spent 40 years travelling the world before settling in London, following his childhood love of theatre, and earning a starring role as Prince Charming in 1962. His involvement in theatrical arts kept Pocock in the bustling capital for three decades until he decided to travel across the pond to reconnect with his long-lost twin sister, Janet Brooks, eventually emigrating to Canada in 1994.
Pocock joined the Greenwood Players during his first visit to Nova Scotia. He was an active member of the group for several years until a brief move to Halifax in the late 1990s, returning in 2007 as director for the Players’ adaptation of Cinderella. Since, Pocock has been an invaluable part of the club, taking on a variety of roles – including directing 13 of the 19 shows that have been staged by the Greenwood Players over the last decade.
After the Players’ spring production’s performance of Blithe Spirit May 17, Jill Jackson, 14 Wing’s Personnel Support Programs’ Community Recreation manager, surprised Pocock, who produced the “Blithe Spirit” production, with a plaque-mounted version of show’s poster, thanking him for his incomparable dedication to the club over the last three decades. A backgrounder provided by Jackson highlights the imprint Pocock’s commitment has left on the local club, and that his performance will be a tough act to follow.
“The footnotes to Jeffery’s theatrical experience cover more information than some performers’ entire careers. Whether he’s designing a set with four rooms on a giant turntable that can be built entirely from materials available at a local hardware store; taking a starring turn as Sherlock Holmes; or, painting a multi-story mural of forest in under five hours; Jeffery’s experience and innovative spirit have been the framework the Greenwood Players has stood upon for decades,” Jackson detailed. “It will be a completely new era for the club moving forward without him. The Greenwood Players will live up to his monumental example and strive to fulfill his legacy.
“The show will go on.”
