FORMER STAFF OBITUARIES
In 1980 Michael moved to Sevenoaks School as Head of Drama and the inaugural Director of the Sackville Theatre, which was being constructed. At the opening in November 1981, in the company of Sir Ralph Richardson and Sir Harold Hobson, the newly formed Sevenoaks School Theatre Company( SSTC), under Michael’ s direction, performed two pieces.
In the five years that followed, at the school and in his accompanying role as Artistic Director / Co-Director of the Sevenoaks Summer Festival, Michael set a benchmark for creativity and professionalism. His love of Shakespeare and Chekhov influenced his choice of productions, although highlights of the festival also included Clownmaker in 1981 and Terra Nova with its innovative staging in 1983. The former, about Vaslav Nijinsky and Sergei Diaghilev, reflected Michael’ s continuing interest in dance which featured strongly in performances at the Sackville Theatre.
MICHAEL PARSLEW 1936-2024
Michael Parslew was born in Birmingham on 27 September 1936, the youngest of two children. He grew up in Stirchley and attended King Edward’ s School. In 1955 Michael went to Selwyn College, Cambridge to read English. There he was introduced to Patricia Holland at a friend’ s 21st birthday party. Within two weeks they were engaged, and they married two years later, enjoying 60 happy years together.
After Cambridge, Michael’ s chosen path was teaching English. His first position was at Bridlington School, then Taunton School where he became involved in Drama, and in 1966 he returned to King Edward’ s School as an English master, later extending his influence to Drama. Michael joined Bristol Cathedral School in 1973 where he taught English and Drama, and he subsequently became Head of Drama at Farnborough Sixth Form College, a role he enjoyed for five years and where he introduced Dance to the curriculum.
Michael was renowned for his ability to communicate with and inspire young people. Many Old Sennockians remember not only his creativity and passion, but also how he instilled confidence and self-belief in them, as well as influencing their next steps. His final production in July 1986 was The Ancient Mariner, performed by SSTC members past and present under the name Omega Theatre.
In 1986, Michael’ s love of books and literature led him and Pat to Bodmin, Cornwall, to run a bookshop. Having made this a success, they moved to the Hungerford Bookshop which they ran until they retired to East Anglia.
In 2007, Michael was invited back to King Edward’ s School as editor of the relaunched Old Edwardians Gazette until 2012. He and Pat moved to Worcestershire and enjoyed exploring the surrounding countryside. Pat died in 2020 and Michael, after a short period of declining health, passed away peacefully at home on 30 October 2024. He is survived by his two daughters and four grandchildren.
Jane Dobinson and Rachel Parslew
136 ALUMNI