The final curtain for Woodley Theatre group

Amateur actors took to the Woodley Theatre stage for the very last time this month as the drama group has closed.

Director Karen Bird said she and the remaining members were very sad that the historic group would be no more – but they were hoping their last production would be a sell-out.

Karen said: “Unfortunately the last few years have been hard to get committee members. We have been running with no chairman for a while and the secretary is about to leave. The gentlemen who do the sets are of an age and it is just difficult to get new members.

“We have nothing but praise for everyone who has helped and everyone has rallied together but it is just such a shame that it can’t carry on.”

Karen added that they have been playing catch-up ever since Covid-19 hit and she believes people’s attitudes have changed since the pandemic. “No one knows what’s around the corner – people want to do other things and I understand that.”

The group was formed in 1945 as the St. John’s Players, and after a few years became The Woodley Players, changing later to Woodley Theatre.

From its roots as a church group in 1945 – to the theatre that its members built with their own hands in the 1960s – to its current base within The Oakwood Centre – this is a group that has consistently brought the community together to produce fantastic shows.

With such a history in the area, Woodley Theatre had people who’ve been going to see their productions for 40 years.

Karen said: “These days people come and do a show then head off to another theatre group. We haven’t got the stalwarts who are willing to do front of house and all the other jobs necessary to put on a show.”

The last show was Two by Jim Cartright. A bickering husband (Landlord) and wife (Landlady) and the dozen regulars who pass through the Northern pub are played by two actors. Each vignette skilfully combines pathos and humour.

Jim Cartwright’s poignant play takes the audience into the world of a working-class pub over the course of one evening. Weaving together rich stories full of human emotion, this dark comedy gives an intimate insight into a variety of characters and will make the audience laugh and cry in equal measure.

Speaking before the last performance, she added that after the last dress rehearsal she returned home feeling very down. “I really struggled with the fact that it was our last show. It is an emotional play anyway but I am sure the entire team will feel emotional. I think the theatre will be sorely missed by the community.”

As a community group, the plays they selected for performance were often tied to the local schools’ curriculum so that they could support their students.