MEMBERS of a community fundraising organisation discovered Wokingham’s theatrical history at their recent meeting.
Easthampstead Rotary Club welcomed guest speaker and active member of Wokingham Theatre Alan Long,
His talk, Wokingham Theatre, Past, Present, and Future, was illustrated with numerous pictures from the theatre’s archives.
A member of the theatre for 30 years, Alan has directed or performed in some 250 plays.
He has also served as its artistic director, a board member, and is one of the theatre’s set designers and builders.
“A teacher by profession, Alan joked that he has no difficulty making his voice heard on stage,” said Easthampstead Rotary Club president Derek Porter.
“He explained how he had come into acting rather late in life: his first role in Guys and Dolls required him to utter only one line, but he found that he enjoyed the experience, and was hooked.”
Alan’s talk about Wokingham Theatre began with its launch in 1947, when The Wokingham Players performed at the Masonic Hall, Wokingham Town Hall, and All Saints Church Hall.
In 1959 Wokingham Borough Council leased the group a site in Norreys Avenue, where two Nissen huts were dismantled and repurposed to become a theatre.
This was The Wokingham Players’ home until 1985, when the area was needed for housing.
The council then offered to lease the group its current Cantley Park location as a suitable location on which to build a new performance venue.
After much fund raising, and with encouragement from famous actors of the day, Wokingham Theatre was opened by Beryl Reid, on October 5, 1986.
It has gone from strength to strength, and is now one of the most successful amateur theatres in the UK, staging eight productions each year, and offering a range of genres.
Wokingham Youth Theatre senior students also perform annually, and recently presented Frankenstein, to wide acclaim.
The theatre building has undergone various changes and improvements over the years.
Its auditorium has been enlarged to provide more audience seating, and better dressing rooms and a ‘green room’ have been provided.
A separate building, the barn, has also been installed, with a set-building workshop, and space to house the theatre’s extensive collection of costumes and furniture.
And there are plans to provide a multi-purpose rehearsal and studio space.
Given the enthusiasm of the theatre’s members and audiences, Alan is hopeful that this can be achieved in the next few years.
Wokingham Theatre membership costs £20, and opens up opportunities to take part in productions, to enjoy the community’s range of friendly and welcoming social events, and to sign up to receive a digital monthly newsletter, Prompt.
“ Alan’s visit proved to be most informative and entertaining,” said Derek.
The Easthampstead Rotary Club meets at the Coppid Beech Hotel, Bracknell on Monday evenings.
Its purpose is to bring together people keen to make a difference in their community and to make connections.
For information, visit: rotary-ribi.org
