THE THAMESWEY PLAYERS: HOMELESS AFTER 57 YEARS!

The Thameswey Players are currently based in Aldershot, Hampshire & we have been “acting” for over 50 years under various guises!

We started out our life way back in 1947, (no original members we're afraid!), as the Post Office Sports & Social Club Drama Section, based in Guildford, Surrey.

Throughout privatisation the group remained linked to BT, & we have also undergone changes of location throughout our history too.

Most of our locations were within Guildford town, plus we’ve also had a home in Peasmarsh, (just outside Guildford), where we had to bring an abandoned property up to scratch, & also build a stage to perform on.

Our name was also changed to the Buzby Players around the time of the privatisation, (whilst we were still based in Guildford), & some of our past members even helped out on some of the television adverts!

Then in 1989 we became the Thameswey Players Amateur Dramatic Society, (as the local Division for BT is situated around the Thames & Wey Rivers).

This last name change also coincided with our move to the BT Sports & Social Club, in Aldershot, Hampshire, & us opening our doors to non BT employees, which is still the case today; indeed currently within our membership the BT employees are heavily outnumbered!!

We are a smallish group & we perform 2 full length productions a year, one around May, & one in October. Although we have performed many genre’s of plays, from Lord Arthur Saville’s Crimes to Flare Path, from Ghost Train to Confusions, we do normally tend to perform comedies, (anything for a laugh!!), & our audience also seem to enjoy our comedies too.

We also have social evenings throughout the year, from BBQ's to pizza evenings, & from quiz nights to going & supporting other local groups production too.

Unfortunately for us we were informed this year that our current home, (the BT Sports & Social Club), is being sold, & demolished for housing. As you can imagine with a history as long as ours we would love the club to survive the move.

Financially it will be an upheaval to move, as we are heavily subsidised by the Sports & Social Club, but now we will have to go it alone at our new premises of Normandy Village Hall, Normandy, Surrey. We will be moving to this new location in January 2005 & our first production there will be in June 2005.

Some of our members are involved in the production “Same Time Next Year” in December this year at the BT Sports & Social Club.

But the last full Thameswey Players show at the club will be the comedy “Murdered to Death”, by Peter Gordon from October 21st-23rd 2004, tickets are available from 0775 956 4134. Alternatively, if you would like some more information on the group, or to contact us please go to our website on www.thameswey-players.co.uk

Also as always we are on the look out for new members, after our move to Normandy our regular night will probably be a Monday evening, so if the urge takes you then come along, we'd love to welcome you to The Thameswey Players!