Welcome to a brief history of our productions over the last thirty years or so.
As far as it’s possible to tell, there has been some form of amateur dramatic society in Whitwell and the wider parish of St Paul’s Walden for around a century.
In the beginning performances appear to have been somewhat sporadic, often with a number of years passing between productions and at one point, during the 1970s, amateur drama fell within the activities of the Women’s Institute in the parish.
The Whitwell Players, in its current guise, came into being in the early 1980s, starting with scripts written by members of the society itself before taking on published material.
Since 1983 the group has established itself as a vibrant part of community life and now performs three events each year in addition to hosting or organising other events that have more of a social dynamic to them
Highlights in recent years include the company’s first Shakespearean production – A Midsummer Night’s Dream – in 2002, which was performed both in the village hall and in the open air at the stunning Bury Gardens.
From comedy and farce to serious drama and pantomime, the Players’ repertoire has become wide and varied and the society has used much of its profit over the years to support and encourage other community activity.
Here you will find a full list of our productions from 1983. To learn more about any of them, please click on the title.
