Our President Joan Evans wrote this in 1994.
“In 1986 it seemed like a good idea to form a drama group, and the Chet Valley Players came into being. Originally this was a separate group, but this proved to be pointless. So many people were involved with both the pantomime and the plays and we shared the same premises and equipment that, eventually and inevitably, the groups merged and adopted the single name of the Loddon Players…”
The first production in 1986 was called Outpatients.
Since then many drama and some variety productions have been performed, sometimes more than one a year. From time to time there have been productions aimed at young people, most notable of which was Daisy Pulls It Off in 1995.
Our final stage play before the pandemic was Death by Fatal Murder – a comedy “whodunnit” by Peter Gordon
That was followed in 2019 by the first major musical production of Annie – in conjunction with Funky Feet School of Dance and Performing Arts. (See separate page). This led to the formation of a separate company called The Funky Theatre Company and many of our members have both performed in and supported their first production Wizard of Oz which was staged in October 2022.
After the pandemic was over and society gradually got back to normal, delighted with the success of our first post lockdown pantomime, we followed that up with a very well received Variety Show in June 2023.
- 1986 – Outpatients + Don’t Utter a Note + House by the Lake
- 1987 – Pools Paradise
- 1988 – Bonaventure
- 1989 – Scarlett Ribbons + Family Occasion
- 1990 – Wedding of the Year + ‘Ello! ‘Ello!
- 1991 – Clerical Errors
- 1991 – The Good Old Days – an Old Time Music Hall & Curses! Foiled Again!
- 1992 – See How They Run + Fingers + ‘Ello! ‘Ello! (again)
- 1993 – Off The Hook + Beauty and The Beast
- 1994 – Take Away The Lady + The Happy Prince
- 1995 – Daisy Pulls It Off
- 1997 – Blythe Spirit + Always Find Tears
- 1999 – They Came From Mars and Landed Outside the Farndale Avenue Church Hall in Time for the Townswomen’s Guild’s Coffee Morning
- 2000 – Variety Night
- 2000 – Curtain Up on Murder
- 2001 – Absent Friends
- 2002 – Visiting Hours
- 2003 – Panic Stations
- 2004 – Murdered to Death
- 2005 – Out of Focus
- 2006 – A Small Affair & Easy Stages (2 one act plays)
- 2007 – Wild Goose Chase
- 2008 – Round the World With Class Six, Melons at the Parsonage & Gilly’s Gem (3 one act plays)
- 2009 – Variety Show
- 2010 – Last Tango & The Fat Lady Sings in Little Grimley (2 one act plays) + The Big C 30th Birthday Bash
- 2011 – Don’t Blame it on the Boots & Distracted Globe (2 one act plays)
- 2013 – Murder, Mystery! and Suspenders?
- 2014 – Ghosts At The Grange
- 2015 – An Audience with Maureen Larkin
- 2018 – Death by Fatal Murder
- 2019 – Annie the Musical
- 2023 – Variety Show
