Do take a moment to look at some of our previous productions dating back to 1923!!
The History of the Players, produced for their Golden Jubilee in 1973, can be found here, and the supplement to it, produced ten years later, here.
“Something original is needed to wake Letchworth up”, were the rallying words of the very first producer of a play performed by the Settlement Players.
In 1923, in the midst of the first Garden City, Mr James Dudley was the warden of the newly opened adult education centre called The Settlement, which was then based at the site of the Letchworth museum in Norton Way South. Seeing how much local residents enjoyed touring drama groups’ productions, Dudley decided to start his own drama society.
The Settlement Players held their debut performance on Wednesday 19th December, presenting The Little Plays of St Francis, by Laurence Houseman. The show was taken to three venues in three days, beginning at Ashwell Village Hall before moving on to the Cooperative Hall and Fairfield Hospital in Letchworth. They were “very well received” according to the producer, Mr Evan John Simpson – managing to hold off stiff competition from a rival local performance of Much Ado About Nothing! Ticket prices were two shillings and fourpence for reserved seats and one shilling and tuppence for unreserved.
In 1925, The Settlement moved into the Skittles Inn in Nevells Road, Letchworth and the former bowling alley became a theatre with a temporary platform for a stage. The Players now had a home to settle into, and have been steadily improving facilities since then. Records show at least one play has been performed every year since the group began, and often more than that – as was the case during the Second World War.
Never ones to be typecast, The Players have performed everything from comedy to tragedy and attracted audiences to over 230 plays by world-renowned playwrights, such as William Shakespeare, Agatha Christie, Noel Coward, Anton Chekhov, Willy Russell and Alan Bennett, to name a few.
As well as treading their own boards, The Players regularly visit local drama festivals and recent successes include winning not only Best Actor but also Best Supporting Actor at the Bedford festival 2007.
There are three main productions each year, in February, June and November, with tickets for all being available through the box office at David’s Music in Letchworth. Check the other pages on this website for details of performances, readings and social events.
If you are interested in acting, please get in touch. Don’t be put off if you haven’t graced the stage before – experience is easily matched with enthusiasm! If acting isn’t quite your cup of tea, volunteers are always most welcome to help with set-building, sound/lighting, selling programmes and all the other activities that have kept The Players in existence for the last 84 years.
Jennifer Baskerville, October 2007
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Settlement Players
Letchworth Settlement
Nevells Road
Letchworth Garden City
Herts.
SG6 4UB
