Village theatre celebrates 100 years

A village theatre which has entertained generations of locals is celebrating its centenary with a busy schedule of performances and events.

The Woolstore Theatre in Codford is an independent charity theatre run by volunteers. It was established in 1926, when the building was bought by Colonel Sneyd whose wife was a keen actress. They had a stage built and soon after, the Codford Amateurs was formed.

With all the facilities of a commercial theatre, members say they believe the space in the heart of the village is ‘unique.’

Theatre member Will Johnson said, “We believe there are very few villages in the country with theatres in them. The theatre is owned by the members, the support we get from the village is crucial.”

The group was formed after two amateur dramatic groups were running in the village, competing with each other before amalgamating around the 1950s or 1960s to form the group that exists today.

The centenary year has included a packed programme of performances, with Robin Hood in January, an evening of one-act plays in March and Calendar Girls in June all selling out.

Calendar Girls proved so popular that an extra night was added to meet demand.

September saw a performance of Winner Takes All, a comedy by Colin A Barrow about the family of a multi-millionaire squabbling over their inheritance.

Will said, “We were delighted to welcome the playwright to the first night. He tells us that the play has been performed a number of times but this was the first time he has been able to be in the audience.

“We were thrilled with the way the team blended during rehearsals, each of them working hard to produce detailed characterisations. The audiences left the building still laughing after a very entertaining evening.”

Funds for the theatre are raised through ticket sales, a monthly film night and talks.

“We like to have as varied a programme as possible,” said Will. “We do main productions by the theatre group themselves but we try to get various things going on in the theatre as possible. On the first Wednesday of every month we run a film night when we show reasonably up to date films. Recently, we had The Devil Wears Prada 2. These are normally really well attended.”

One member, Marilyn, joined The Woolstore Theatre in the early 70s after being a member of the Warminster Dramatic Society. She said the village was lucky to have its own theatre and a space where members could rehearse from the start of a production. “We draw an audience from a wide area,” she said. “Not only the Wylye Valley but also from Pewsey, Trowbridge, somebody came up from Ilminster.”

The next production will be Songs from the Stage on 24th October, featuring Crescendo della voce performing well-known songs from the West End stage. All profits from the evening will go towards the theatre’s roof fund.

The centenary year will conclude with the pantomime Aladdin in December.