From an early age Leslie Garner demonstrated a talent for creativity and practical jokes. Unfortunately for his mother these often manifested themselves together.In one memorable occasion when he was asked to give the washhouse boiler a ‘lick of paint,’
Leslie took it upon himself to paint a swirling ornate Chinese dragon, much to his own amusement and mother’s chagrin.
At one point in his youth he even disappeared for several weeks – having spontaneously decided to join a ‘banana boat’ on its voyage to the Caribbean and forgetting to let anyone know.
Leslie’s artistic talent led him to become an apprentice with the George Black Studios in London but as war broke out he joined up, serving in many different campaigns across several countries.
Throughout the war Leslie used his talents to help boost morale, painting caricatures of military figureheads but also playing pranks.
Whilst his platoon was billeted at a farm in Germany the pigs ‘mysteriously’ became decorated with gold stars overnight, much to his troops amusement and the farmers bewilderment.
Alongside the pranks and adventures however Leslie was also putting his creative skills to good use. He became involved with the Ralph Reader Gang Shows in London, both performing as a scout but also helping to paint the scenery and cloths for their successful productions in London.
It was painting scenery that caught his interest and led him to the career that would eventually enable him to start his own business – The Border Studio.
After the war Leslie began to paint professionally, creating backcloths for the London Palladium Theatre and the Royal Command performance.
He also rubbed shoulders with many of London’s finest performers such as Flanagan and Allan, Billy Cotton, Arthur Askey, Lena Horne, The Beverley Sisters, Norman Wisdom, and a young Julie Andrews.
He also met the famous designer Erte and struck up a close friendship with Ivor Novello, with whom he continued to correspond for many years.
In 1961 he recognised a market for a scenery hire company in Scotland, and acting on this instinct, he moved to Selkirk, his wife’s hometown.
Starting with a garage, £500 and a handshake from a supportive bank manager, he began to design and build stage sets for local amateur societies.
Selkirk A O S was his first customer with ‘The King and I’, quickly followed by Galashiels A O S ‘White Horse Inn’ and the rest of the border towns societies.
Popular shows of this decade were ‘Desert Song’, ‘Rose Marie’, ‘Flower Drum Song’ and ‘The Merry Widow’.
Leslie remained a ‘one man business’ as he began to regularly supply more theatre companies across Scotland and the north of England, and he soon needed to move to larger premises.
It was during this decade that Leslie created an innovative way to produce backcloths that could be folded into blanket size and easily transported by carrier.
Previously backcloths had been painted on heavy canvas rolled onto battens up to 40 feet long, which were difficult and costly to transport. Using new analine dyes, Leslie painted onto flame-proofed calico, which remained soft enough to be folded and transported easily - enabling even the smallest amateur company to use professionally painted backcloths.
Popular shows in this decade were ‘Calamity Jane’, ‘Oklahoma’, ‘Carousel’, and ‘Brigadoon’.
In 1979, Leslie was joined by his daughter Kate.
With an art college degree and professional design and teaching experience, Kate took on designing the sets as well as looking after their customers and their requirements.
In this decade popular shows– such as ‘Fiddler on the Roof’, ‘Sound of Music’, ‘South Pacific’ and ‘Hello Dolly’, all had lots of different scenes and required quick scene changes. With the new analine dye backcloths and the introduction of ‘trucks’, creating small spotlit ‘vignettes’- a sharp, snappy show could be achieved.
The Border Studio also moved again to larger premises and as business increased, Graham Coulson also joined The Border Studio.
Leslie was still working in his late sixties but it was again necessary to increase the staff further and Sheila and Iain Fairbairn joined The Border Studio. John Reid also joined as our scenic artist to help meet demand for our beautiful hand- painted backcloths and managed to increase our stock output considerably.
Popular shows in this decade were ‘Oliver’, ‘Guys and Dolls’, ‘West Side Story’, and ‘Annie’.
Sadly 2000 was the year Leslie died.
He had continued to play an active part in the business and had a great sense of satisfaction seeing his ‘bright idea’ flourish from such a modest beginning.
We moved to Riverside Mill, giving us more storage space for backcloths, scenery, and our expanding props department, and Myra Coltman, Neil McKinnon and Graeme Lilley all joined our team.
Popular shows this decade were ‘Singin’ in the Rain’, ‘Me and My Girl’. ‘Crazy For You’, and ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’.
Our success has continued to grow each year but recently we’ve had phenomenal success with our set for ‘Disney’s Beauty and the Beast’ which was chosen for the UK show premiere. This set has been so popular that we even had to build a second smaller version to meet the demand.
So far we have built new sets for ‘Hairspray’, ‘The Producers’, ‘The Drowsy Chaperone’. ‘The Slipper and the Rose’, ‘Summer Holiday’, and most recently ‘Miss Saigon’, and increased our pantomime stock significantly.
Our success has continued to grow each year but recently we’ve had phenomenal success with our set for ‘Disney’s Beauty and the Beast’ which was chosen for the UK show premiere. This set has been so popular that we even had to build a second smaller version to meet the demand. So far we have built new sets for ‘Hairspray’, ‘The Producers’, ‘The Drowsy Chaperone’. ‘The Slipper and the Rose’, ‘Summer Holiday’, and most recently ‘Miss Saigon’, and increased our pantomime stock significantly.
behind the
Scenes
About Us
Are you searching to find scenery that is not only beautifully painted and well built, but also works within your budget and is provided alongside a tailored, reliable service? The Border Studio is the solution you need.
Who We Are
We are a family business with a story worthy of the West End stage– a tale of humble beginnings to our emergence as a leading company for scenery and backcloth hire who provide scenery all across the UK, Ireland and internationally.
Established over 50 years ago by Les Garner, a scenic artist in the West End of London, The Border Studio originally operated out of a small garage studio in his wife’s hometown of Selkirk. Les initially painted scenery for local theatre groups but as word of his talent spread, demand quickly increased and today the business operates out of a custom renovated 36,000sq ft woollen mill.
What We Care About
As well as striving to provide our customers with a high level of care and assistance, we are committed to supporting the theatre arts, specifically encouraging young people through support and mentorship.
The memorial Leslie Allan Garner Award is a bursary that allows a young person to attend a technical theatre course and kick-start their career. Past recipients have gone on to study at Central St Martin’s.
We have also donated several awards to NODA regions to recognise excellence within amateur theatre and have strong links to many local schools and youth organisations through our work experience programme.
We are always happy to talk with people interested in gaining some experience of life ‘behind the scenes.’
What We Do
We are renowned for our designs and are proud to be one of the last remaining scenery suppliers to design, build and paint all of our scenery and backcloths in-house, thanks to our team of dedicated technical craftsmen. We work hard to tailor our service for each customer to ensure that you can have the best show possible, regardless of size and budget.
We want to hear from you about your next show and what we can provide to make it your best one yet.
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Starting Out
From an early age Leslie Garner demonstrated a talent for creativity and practical jokes. Unfortunately for his mother these often manifested themselves together.In one memorable occasion when he was asked to give the washhouse boiler a ‘lick of paint,’
click to read full summary
The Pre-War Years
Alongside the pranks and adventures however Leslie was also putting his creative skills to good use. He became involved with the Ralph Reader Gang Shows in London, both performing as a scout but also helping to paint the scenery and cloths for their successful productions in London.
click to read full summary
The War Years
Leslie’s artistic talent led him to become an apprentice with the George Black Studios in London but as war broke out he joined up, serving in many different campaigns across several countries.
click to read full summary
1950
After the war Leslie began to paint professionally, creating backcloths for the London Palladium Theatre and the Royal Command performance. He also rubbed shoulders with many of London’s finest performers such as Flanagan and Allan, Billy Cotton...
click to read full summary
1960
In 1961 he recognised a market for a scenery hire company in Scotland, and acting on this instinct, he moved to Selkirk, his wife’s hometown. Starting with a garage, £500 and a handshake from a supportive bank manager...
click to read full summary
1970
Leslie remained a ‘one man business’ as he began to regularly supply more theatre companies across Scotland and the north of England, and he soon needed to move to larger premises.
click to read full summary
1980
In 1979, Leslie was joined by his daughter Kate. With an art college degree and professional design and teaching experience, Kate took on designing the sets as well as looking after their customers and their requirements.
click to read full summary
1990
Leslie was still working in his late sixties but it was again necessary to increase the staff further and Sheila and Iain Fairbairn joined The Border Studio.
click to read full summary
2000
Sadly 2000 was the year Leslie died. He had continued to play an active part in the business and had a great sense of satisfaction seeing his ‘bright idea’ flourish from such a modest beginning.
click to read full summary
2010
Our success has continued to grow each year but recently we’ve had phenomenal success with our set for ‘Disney’s Beauty and the Beast’ which was chosen for the UK show premiere. This set has been so popular that we even had to build a second smaller version to meet the demand.
click to read full summary
2013
In 2013 Kate’s youngest daughter Tamsin joined The Border Studio taking it into its third generation. We have launched a brand new website and blog as well as entering the social age with our Facebook and Twitter pages.
2014
In 2014 we shall be building a new set for ‘Sister Act’, and we continue to extend our already large collection of scenery, backcloths, props and furniture. Between us we have accumulated over 150 years of experience and service from our dedicated staff and we applaud their commitment to The Border Studio and look forward to the future.
Contact Information
The Border Studio
Riverside Mill,
Level Crossing Road,
Selkirk TD7 5EQ
Tel:01750 20237
Fax:01750 20313
Email:info@borderstudio.com
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