Back in 1975, a group of people from the Silchester area got together to put on an Old Tyme Music Hall in order to raise money for the Leukæmia Research national charity.
Following on the strength of this, the Silchester Players were founded and their first production, the pantomime Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, was staged in January 1976. Since then, the Players have been regularly entertaining the public at Silchester Village Hall. Our Twentieth Anniversary was celebrated by staging that self-same pantomime, produced and directed by the only two remaining founder members of the Players, Beryl and Stephen Oliver. The Silchester Players are now well into their twenty-ninth year!
During the course of each year, we try to put on three productions. In Spring we put on a play; in Autumn we try a revue, play or Music Hall; and early in the New Year we put on a pantomime or Christmas play.
All this effort is worthwhile when, at the end of a show, we hear so many stories from people who have enjoyed themselves. We also maintain our tradition of donating money to local charitable organisations.
Our membership is varied and there is a wide age-range involved. We are very fortunate to have a pool of talented people who are prepared to paint, sew, act, direct and even write pantomimes and songs for us to perform. But even so, we are always looking for new members.
If you are interested in joining the Silchester Players in any capacity, be it on- or back-stage, front-of-house, technical or artistic assistance, please contact any Silchester Players member (see our contacts page for a list of some of them).
We welcome all to attend our productions and urge that bookings are made early, as we have a limited seating capacity in Silchester Village Hall.