About Us

| Print |

Formed in 1928, the Society’s first production was Edward German’s “Merrie England”, which was performed at St. John’s Church Hall, Royal Lane, Hillingdon. St. John’s Hall remained the Society’s home for the next forty-one years, during which a selection of musical productions, plays, concerts and revues were performed. As the Society grew in number, it became apparent that the limited stage and dressing room facilities at the hall were making it increasingly difficult to stage musical productions there. One of the major problems was the lack of any back stage space, necessitating the construction of a scaffolding and tarpaulin tunnel (known to the cast as “the tunnel of love”) on the outside of the hall, to enable cast members to leave the stage from one side and reappear on the other. Unfortunately, in inclement weather it became apparent that the tarpaulins were not totally wind- or rain-proof, and very often members of the cast left the stage on one side looking immaculate, only to reappear on the opposite side a little later looking decidedly disheveled! It was therefore decided, after many happy years at St. Johns, to move to a larger and more fully equipped hall. Thus the Winston Churchill Hall in Ruislip became our new venue. With this change of location the Society moved away from performing straight plays and concentrated on its musical activities; indeed it was at the Winston Churchill Hall that the first of our popular Music Halls was staged. With the opening of the Alfred Beck Theatre in 1977 several of the local amateur musical and drama societies began to use the theatre to perform their shows. In 1981 the Society decided to follow suit, and moved to the theatre to stage a production of “The Merry Widow”. Following the success of this production, the Society decided to continue at The Beck for future productions, and remained there until 2002.  With the rising costs of staging a show at The Beck, 2003 saw  the society return to The Winston Churchill Hall,  for "Beguiled Again", and this has now become 'home' for the years main production.  Apart from one main production, the Society also performs concerts and Music Halls at various venues throughout the year. Throughout the Society’s history it has managed to maintain close links with its roots, and is fortunate in being supported in its endeavours by the Hillingdon Arts Association. The Society’s aim has always been to promote, encourage, and to keep alive the spirit of the amateur theatre - and it is our intention to continue this tradition well into the future. by Carol Williams