WHAT WE DO
Digswell Players are a local amateur dramatic group based in Digswell, Hertfordshire. We produce an annual pantomime in January and a play in May. Our youth theatre group, Expressions, stage a musical in June. Show rehearsals are held on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at Digswell Village Hall and on Sunday afternoons for the pantomime and the youth group. In addition to acting, there are many roles and 'parts' to be played as members of Digswell Players. We have a full technical set up of modern lighting and sound equipment as well as a permanent wardrobe and props store. We rely on a dedicated backstage crew of volunteers to run these sections as well as design, build and paint scenery and run our front of house. We always welcome people to join this side of the society.
A brief history of Digswell Players...
In January 1954, a group of theatrically minded local people put on a pantomime, Aladdin, in Digswell Village Hall. The following year they put on Dick Whittington, and such was its success (having performed the pantomime in Welwyn and Ashwell, as well as Digswell) they decided to form an amateur dramatic society called the Digswell Players in January 1955.
Digswell Players is still going strong and has performed a pantomime nearly every year, the most recent being Aladdin in 2024. The most performed titles have been Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Sleeping Beauty, Dick Whittington and Red Riding Hood, having been staged five times each. We’ve also performed some lesser-known pantomimes, such as Little Bo Peep in 1964, Dick Turpin in 1999 and Old King Cole in 2002.
In 1955, a spring Revue titled ‘Here Comes the Sun’ was also put on and this was the start of our May Plays. These revues and plays weren’t put on every year, but since 1989, we have performed a show each May, except for the Covid hit years of 2020/1.
May Play titles over the years have included Nuts in May in 1968, See How They Run in 1990, Blithe Spirit in 2003, Up Pompeii in 2016, Blackadder in 2022, The House of Frankenstein in 2023 and Bill Bryson's Notes from a Small Island in 2024.
Since 1992, Digswell Players has also performed a children’s production, initially under the name of Digswell Juniors. In 2004 the name was changed to Expressions, and they still perform a musical show each June. Previous productions have included Grease, The Wizard of Oz, Summer Holiday, The Little Mermaid and last year’s Fame. This year they will be performing Frozen.
Minutes of the meeting held in the Village Hall on January 31st 1955:
Mr Busby took the chair with the agreement of all present and presented his report and the balance sheet of the pantomime ‘Dick Whittington’ which was performed in the Village Hall, Digswell on Thursday and Saturday, the 6th and 8th January, at Ashwell on Saturday 15th, and Welwyn on Saturday 22nd January.
After some debate it was decided to form the “Digswell Players” and the following officers were elected: President, Mrs J. Hunter Steen, Treasurer, Mr A.D. Evans, and Secretary, Mrs M. Mogridge.
Future programmes were discussed, and it was decided to put on a Revue at the end of April for which Mr Busby said he had plenty of material and was willing to organise and produce. All present signified their intention to support this effort and it was decided that the proceeds should be for the Village Hall improvements. It was also decided to commence rehearsals the following week. A nominal subscription of 1/- per member was agreed upon with a continuation of the payment of 3d per member at each rehearsal held in the Village Hall. Mrs V. Sumpler and Miss J. King undertook to arrange the tea rota.