Folkestone & Hythe Operatic & Dramatic Society, FHODS, is a charitable organization that holds performances and events at its theatre in Shorncliffe, the Tower Theatre. A theatre which has been beautifully developed by FHODS from what used to be a church, it is a perfect setting for all types of performances. The society also includes a very active Youth Section who perform 3 shows a year and meet every Sunday between 7pm and 9:30pm at the Tower Theatre.
The Folkestone Dramatic & Music Club was formed in 1902, performing at the Woodward Institute. This was later changed to the Folkestone Operatic Society in 1913 performing at the Pleasure Gardens Theatre.
The society closed for the duration of World War I (1914–1918), then continued to present plays up until World War II (1939–1945) when it closed once more. In 1947 Hythe was added to the name and the society held productions at the Leas Pavilion Theatre, Folkestone Town Hall, and Chichester Hall in Sandgate.
FHODS Youth Section caters for young people aged between 14 and 21 who are interested any aspects of theatre. They put on 3 shows a year:
They meet every Sunday at the Tower Theatre between 7pm and 9:30pm. Their meetings include drama-based games, creating improvisations and sketches, script work (ranging from Greek Tragedy to Shakespeare to Monty Python) and workshops both from within FHODS and from external sources. They always welcome new members.
They also organise trips to see other productions from as close to home as FHODS' own to West End shows such as Avenue Q and the Lion King. These trips are often subsidised to encourage greater participation in theatre.