Weymouth Drama Club
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Weymouth Drama Club is an amateur dramatics organisation located in Weymouth, Dorset, England. It has been producing comedies, musicals and plays for seventy five years as of 2006.
Performances are held at the club's own Warehouse Theatre, and at the Weymouth Pavilion owned by the Weymouth and Portland Borough Council.
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[edit] History
The Weymouth Drama Club was formed in 1931 and had presented plays annually since then, except for the (1939-1945) World War II years.
It presented the first straight play in the Weymouth Pavilion after it opened in 1960. Both pavilion and in-house productions have been running since then, including straight plays, comedies, musicals and pantomimes.
The current in-house residence of the club is the Warehouse Theatre which is located in Hope Street, Weymouth.
[edit] Sections
[edit] Curtain Raisers
Weymouth Drama Club has had a junior membership, called Curtain Raisers, since 1982. Prior to that children and young people had been recruited for specific productions such as The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, The Roses of Eyam and Cavalcade. The youngsters that appeared in Cavalcade wanted more opportunities to continue with their drama and nagged until a junior section of the club (Curtain Raisers) was set up by Jacqui Trent.
The first production was Mob 82, a compilation of drama, poetry and movement held at the Weymouth Arts Centre. At that time, there was one group meeting each Thursday, covering the 11-16 age range.
The children have been in many productions since then, some on their own and many with the adult members of the group. Such was the demand that a second group was set up in 1999 to cater for 7-11 year olds.
Whilst a few have gone on to study drama at college and two are now professional theatre technicians, the majority of members take up drama for fun. It helps them form some great friendships, teaches them to work together and boosts their self-esteem.
[edit] Curtain Raisers Encore
Curtain Raisers Encore is a part of the Weymouth Drama Club for 11-16 year olds. The young people are taken on a "first-come, first-served" basis.
Once a part of the group, the young people take part in workshops about the theatre, various aspects of drama and technical topics such as lighting and sound.
[edit] Wardrobe hire
The Club has an extensive wardrobe, which is available to hire. Everything from medieval to modern day, from pantomime to Shakespearean.
[edit] Past productions (by year)
Since the first play was performed at the Weymouth Pavilion in 1960, the following productions have played at the Pavilion Theatre, and at the club's own smaller venue - The Warehouse Theatre:
1960 (November)
- The Reluctant Debutante
1961
- For Better For Worse
- Night Must Fall
1962
- Watch It Sailor
- The Admirable Crichton
1963
- The Big Killing
- Breakout
- Sabrina Fair
1964
- The Amorous Prawn
- The Killer Dies Twice
1965
- Gilt And Gingerbread
- Anastasia
1966
- Count Your Blessings
- Berkley Square
1967
- The Burning Glass
- Mad About Men
1968
- Bare Foot In The Park
- The Whole Truth
- Tom Jones
1969
- Private Ear & Public Eye
- Blithe Spirit
- Not In The Book
1970
1971
1972
- The Entertainer
- Not Now Darling
1973
- Saw Who You Are
- Lord Arthur Saville's Crime
1974
- The Killing Of Sister George
- The Chiltern Hundreds
1975
- Enter A Free Man
- Suddenly At Home
- How The Other Half Loves
1976
- The Rivals
- The Male Of The Species
1977
- Move Over Mrs Markham
- Pink String And Sealing Wax
1978
- Aladdin
- Tango
- Round And Round The Garden
- Toad Of Toad Hall
1979
- Family Dance
- Any Number Can Die
- Roses Of Eyam
1980
- Jack And The Beanstalk
- The Gingerbread Lady
- Surprise Package
- Uproar In The House
- The Autumn Garden
1981
- Babes In The Wood
- Alphabetical Order
- Ten Times Table
- Cavalcade
1982
- Dick Whittington
- Straight Up
- Bequest To The Nation
- Surprise Package
- The Redville Wanderer
1983
- Cinderella
- Born In The Gardens
- Lloyd George Knew My Father
- Night Watch
1984
- Humpty Dumpty
- Say Goodnight To Your Grandma
- The Importance Of Being Earnest
- The Accrington Pals
1985
- Sinbad The Sailor
- Abigail's Party
- Local Affairs
- Privates On Parade
1986
- Robinson Crusoe
- Whose Life Is It Anyway
- On The Razzle
- Pack Of Lies
1987
- Aladdin
- Sufficient Carbohydrate
- Outside Edge
- Conduct Unbecoming
- Jack And The Beanstalk
1988
- On Golden Pond
- Semi-detached
- Hobson's Choice
1989
- Cinderella
- Children
- A Tomb With A View
- Johnny Belinda
1990
- Dick Whittington
- Hay Fever
- Groping For Words
- All My Sons
1991
- Babes In The Wood
- Touch And Go
- Dear Octopus
1992
- Little Miss Muffet
- Lettice And Loveage
- Steel Magnolias
- The Fifteen Streets
1993
- Mother Goose
- As You Like It
- Off The Hook
- Towards Zero
1994
1995
- Jack And The Beanstalk
- Shakers And Bouncers
- A Christmas Carol
1996
- Sleeping Beauty
- Old Goat Song & Albertine In Five Times
- A Chorus Of Disapproval
- Arsenic And Old Lace
1997
- Old Mother Hubbard
- Pride And Prejudice
- Much Ado About Nothing
- A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum
1998
- Cinderella
- Billy Liar
- Passion Killers
- Les Misérables
1999
- Puss In Boots
- Victoriana
- A Midsummer Night's Dream
- Stepping Out
2000
- Dick Whittington
- Anyone For Breakfast
- Cider With Rosie
- The Ghost Train
2001
- Aladdin
- The Weekend
- Blithe Spirit
2002
- Red Riding Hood
- The Business Of Murder
- Beneath The Greenwood Tree
- Murder In Play
2003
- Robinson Crusoe
- Unleashed
- Nobody's Perfect
- Herbal Bed
2004
- Babes In The Wood
- Unoriginal Sin
- Fly Me To The Moon
- Wyrd Sisters
- Love Begins At 50
2005
- Little Tommy Tucker
- The Enquiry
- The Canterbury Tales - Chaucer Made Modern
2006
- Jack And The Beanstalk
- An Inspector Calls
- Twelfth Night
- Nicholas Nickleby - In Rehearsal