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History of the Lichfield Players
It all began in the early years of the Second World War when small groups of people, all anxious to help with the war effort, were raising money for charity.
One such group gave a musical concert and raised £38, quite an amount in those days. It was given to a Mrs Edith Bithall (later called Mrs Bith Davies) to help the Red Cross. The group decided to stay together as a musical society and called a general meeting and the Lichfield Operatic Society was born.
During rehearsals for their first production Merrie England the producer brought a friend along, Mrs M Byas (a Colonel’s lady) who was anxious to raise money for the RAF Benevolent Fund and wished to borrow about ten of the members to put on a dramatic production. The chosen play was London Wall. This was put on at the Guildhall as it was the only suitable venue to house the expected audiences. There was no stage so a platform had to be erected over the magistrate’s benches. As long as the actors trod lightly and did not cough – then the scenery stayed upright!
A very good write-up appeared in the Lichfield Mercury on the following Friday, June 25th 1943. It began:
That there is ample scope in Lichfield for a permanent amateur dramatic society was again made manifest by the two crowded and appreciative audiences at the Guildhall on Saturday, when a company of local amateurs gave excellent and thoroughly enjoyable performances of John Van Druten’s three act comedy London Wall.
Mrs Byas and Mr Peach were the co-producers and Mr Peach called a meeting and suggested that the company stay together as a dramatic society based on the Canterbury Players. That is:
1. To become a member by invitation
2. To take part onstage or backstage
3. Once a member always a member
4. No membership fee
5. All profits to go to charity
Thus the LICHFIELD AMATEUR PLAYERS (as it was then called) was born.
In the early years the society toured with their productions taking them to the RAF base at Fradley aerodrome, the army at Whittington Barracks and also Brownhills and Chasetown areas. The Assembly Hall at the Grammar School in Lichfield was also used for productions. In 1945 the society entered their production of Black Chiffon by Lesley Storm in the Tamworth Drama Festival and won the cup for the best play with a mixed cast.
The society later became the Lichfield Players although the original objectives
changed over the years.
The Lichfield Players continued to put on their plays at the King Edward Grammar
School until they got together with other society’s in the area to acquire,
in 1970, at a peppercorn rent, the Old Post Office in Bird Street. The Lichfield
Players became a part of the Lichfield District Arts Association and their productions,
rehearsals and social events were then held at the Old Post Office, now renamed
the Lichfield Arts Centre.
The Lichfield Players celebrated their 50th birthday at St Mary’s Centre on Saturday May 8th 1993. Around 125 members, past and present, met for a grand reunion. Guest of honour was Mr Leslie Davies, the Players’ very first Chairman and his wife Bith who was also a founder member. The first secretary of the society also attended – Mrs Mary Watkins (nee Harrison). All three of them had appeared in London Wall.
Mr Leslie Davies wrote his autobiography called One Man in his Time in which there is a more detailed report on the founding of the Lichfield Players. It is written in an amusing way and is well worth a read. Lichfield Library have some copies.
Productions continued to be held at the Lichfield Arts Centre until 1995 when the building was declared unsafe and they were again forced to put on the productions at Lichfield School theatres until the end of 2003, when they put on their first production at the new Lichfield Garrick.
The society has some lovely archive scrapbooks, they include items dating back to 1943. The photographs and programmes in them are of great interest and they are still kept up to date, with all the latest productions.
The original first programme, other original early programmes and various interesting items, including photographs and press cuttings, are now with the St Mary’s Archive department for safe-keeping. Any items can be requested and seen on their premises.
Audrey Hall
Honorary Life Member of the Lichfield Players
This page was last updated on November 26, 2006.