Our Archive demonstrates the great variety of plays presented over the years, ranging from farce in Hotel Paradiso (1983) and The Communication Cord (2004), to Murder in the Cathedral, and all shades of comedy and tragedy in between. Among the most memorable in the 20th century were The Diary of Anne Frank (1985) in which young Joanne Leverett's portrayal had a full house in tears; Teechers (1997) full of youthful energy; Alice in Wonderland (1989) with the cameo gem of Peter Kemsley's White Knight; The Visit (1991) - black humour and a chilling end - with an excellent press review, largely for the notable performances of Judith Middleton-Stewart and Richard Dwelly; The Farndale Ladies Macbeth (1988), famously remembered for Patrick Quorn's Lady Macbeth and Angela Clarke's handbag; and a Sweeney Todd (1993) evilly portrayed by Gerry Rhodes.
In the 21st century there have been full houses for a lavish Millennial production of Figaro's Wedding, the original Beaumarchais play newly translated by Chris Collins (2001); for a return of the delightful Toad of Toad Hall (1998) with John Frost in full flow and a horrible hoard of young weasels and stoats, and for Nicholas Nickleby (2002) when the young actors in the company - notably Martin Bonger as Nicholas, Dylan Callomon as Smike and Alice Schofield as Madeline - shone side-by-side with experienced members including Gerry Rhodes and Jean Gillies as the dreadful Mr & Mrs. Squeers, Peter Lewis as Vincent Crummles and David Metherell as Ralph Nickleby.
In David Metherell's new production of Alice in Wonderland (2003), the awesomely assured performance as Alice of 12-year-old 'first-timer' Daisy Jellicoe enchanted the whole company as well as its audiences. At the other end of the same year Peter Lewis’s adaptation of Henry IV parts 1 & 2 as Chimes at Midnight called for every resource of acting talent, directorial skill and backstage energy that we could summon: there were bravura performances by Peter as Falstaff and Martin Bonger as Prince Hal, with memorable comic support especially from Pat Quorn as Pistol and Mia Hacker as Doll Tearsheet.
Keeping up a tradition of presenting also some less well-known, and thought-provoking, plays, the recent past has seen Kindertransport (2000), the harrowing story of a German Jewish child sent to Britain in 1939, with a touching performance by young Emily Craddock; The Odd Couple (2001), adapted for women and a tour de force for Barbara Langley and Gilly Macartney, and the strange Edward Bond play The Sea (2002), with highlights such as the hilarious rehearsal of 'Orpheus and Euridice', the amazing descant by Liz Lines to a hymn-tune sung on the cliff-top, and the moving encounters between the philosopher (Bernard Fox) and the young man (Dean Sore).
In mid-2003 a new high, with Bernard Fox's adaptation (the first 'straight' stage version ever) and production of Stella Gibbons' Cold Comfort Farm. Energised by on-stage music and dancing, it produced magnificent performances from the whole cast, especially Anne Clifford in the 'anchor' role of Flora Poste and Chris Collins as the hell-fire preaching Amos Starkadder. Some in our audiences told us this was the best thing we've ever done, but then they said the same a year later about Bernard’s own play in the same mould, Nine Miles Long Three Feet Wide, in which excellent performances by some of our youngest players were complemented with Edwardian music hall songs by the most aged of our performing members.
Local churches have been the venues for some moving and enthralling plays, including, The Crucible (1980), The Westhall Chronicles (1988), Murder in the Cathedral (1980), The Caucasian Chalk Circle (1992), Brecht's wonderful play in which almost every member of the Society took part in the 25th anniversary year, and the Medieval Mystery Plays (1993) with Jean Gillies as God. Sue Trovell’s lavish new production of the Mystery Plays in 2005 played in three large parish churches, with the full pageantry of dancers, musicians and choral singers to enrich the simple, and often humorously street-wise, piety of the spoken words.
