My parents, Sidney and Sylvia Brown, were exceptional people.  My father had a notable wartime military career, punctuated by athletic achievement at a national level, while my mother, whose glorious soprano graced the big bands of the nineteen forties, could trace her heritage back to Stuart Lord High Treasurer Sir Robert de Hales-Warner.  Together they went on to become distinguished hoteliers, both in the UK and overseas, their clientele reflecting their joint interest in politics, the United States of America and, of course, the theatre.

 

When my father died in 2011, I very much wanted to create a memorial to him and his amazing life.  It was Caroline Underwood, with her habitual ingenuity, who pointed the way and together we inaugurated The Sidney Brown Memorial Award.  When my mother died two years later, the award was re-named the S&S Award, now honouring both of them.  They were fondly known as S&S to everyone who came their way.

 

My mother in particular imbued my childhood with Musical Theatre and its endless possibilities, so I suppose any award commemorating S&S just had to have musicals as its foundation.  For the rest of the story, please go to: www.sandsaward.com