Our History
St George’s Player’s was officially formed in December 1934, though the first players came together to stage plays for their local community as early as 1928.
Pictured is perhaps the earliest picture of the Players, taken for our first production, ‘Nothing but the Truth’ in 1935.
We’ve staged hundreds of performances over the years- from Charles Dickens’ much loved A Christmas Carol to Daphne De Maurier’s haunting Rebecca and Mike Leigh’s excruciating Abigail’s Party. In 1952 we were the first amateur group to produce The Holly and the Ivy, fresh from the West End. We have even tried our hand at pantomime, marking our Diamond Jubilee with Cinderella in 1994. Recent productions include And Then There Were None in 2019, Death by Design and Dracula in 2022 and Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Nile in 2023.
In 2024, to commemorate our 90th anniversary, in a departure from our usual productions, we produced and performed our very first self-penned full-length play, ‘SOAP’, written and directed by Chair, Mark Harrington.
We’re fortunate to have a comprehensive historical archive compiled by former member and committee Chair and Director of many productions over 57 years – John McGuire. John is pictured here (far right) with his wife Doreen (front right) and Doreen’s father (behind).
Minutes of the first ever committee meeting, in which it was decided to form a dramatic society – 19th December 1934.
A History of St George’s Players – the first eighty years, by John McGuire.