Interviewing Stephen Haggard: A Short Stage Play
Interviewing Stephen Haggard: Born March 21st, 1911 and killed in the line of in duty in February 1943, Interviewing Stephen Haggard invites its readers into the honest and most profound thoughts and viewpoints of a Father, a poet, an author, and a Soldier's memoir to his children, I'll Go to Bed at Noon: A Soldier's Letter's to His Sons, published 1940 in the Atlantic Journal. Here, his most poignant and candid of words are thoughtfully and respectfully reimagined in the form of a fictional Radio Interview with a fictional interviewer, in June of 1940. Taking nothing away from the real thoughts of the actual man called up to face the darkness of Hitler's Nazi regime, the play before you asks questions of which you may be compelled to answer: Will you remember Stephen Haggard and What does it mean to carry the weight of a legacy that has largely been forgotten by time? "And time, more time, give me more time!" Cries Fastidious.
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The Story: Enter BBC journalist, Edith Thatcher, a young late twenty some American who finds herself caught in the crossfire of London on the verge of rationed food, chaos, evacuations, and bombings, in the summer of 1940; her task a simple one, following a grand performance of a play in New York in the early 30's, she wishes to find and interview the co-star of Ethel Barrymore's Whiteoaks, Mr. Stephen Haggard, a London local, and what a piece of luck at that.
In a race against the clock; and with time running out, Mr. Haggard awaits his turn to be called to the frontlines for training, what might our ambitious interviewer find as she gets to know the charming and ever elusive, Stephen Haggard?
Based on the real words of Stephen Haggard from his personal memoir, I'll Go to Bed At Noon: A Soldier's Letter's to his Sons, Interviewing Stephen Haggard is a Historic drama stage play that intends to bring a lost voice back into the light, 81 years removed from World War two, a young man's words echo through the pages left behind with much respect towards the life of its subject matter. The purpose of this play is to shine a light on the legacy of Stephen Haggard as the man he was and the trials he faced.
Who was Stephen Haggard?
Stephen Haggard, was an English author, poet, actor, and when 1939 rolled around, soldier, his courage against the door to darkness, an immense feat, yet determined to do his part for the greater good, with hope for the future, though not, as he said, hope for himself, his 31 years of life was cut short, he left behind a legacy of candid thoughts, views, and outlooks which echo beyond the glass that we, the souls whom he could not foresee, are so far separated from, eighty-five years after the war took his life and his future from him, in 1943.
Stephen's List of Works: Stage Plays & Films:
Candida
The SeaGull
The Black Eye
The Laughing Woman
White Oaks
White Guard (American tour)
Whom the Gods Love (1936)
The Tempest I & II
Johnson was no Gentleman (lost film)
Jamica inn (Alfred Hitchcock film)
A Knight Without Armor (role unknown)
Weep for the Spring (Original play)
Young Mr. Pitt (last role)
Duchess Of Malfi
King Lear
Fear and Peter Brown
Below is a gallery of stills of Stephen Haggard from various films and plays he was apart of in his life.
I first discovered Stephen through his role as Mozart in Whom the God's Loved 1936, and to this day, three years after my research into Stephen it is still my favorite role of his. He played Mozart as an approachable and charming individual, I found his acting endearing and his bright on screen persona was precious. If one reads into his personal life, no, Stephen was not a perfect man, but he was loved by those around him whom he called friends and at times the stories about him are relatable. You almost root for him to overcome his obstacles and you hope he succeeds. His story touches the heart as much as it breaks it, and it has truly left an indelible mark on mine.
Stephen Haggard: 1911-1943