The first known
record of a play being performed in Hamble was on 14 February 1920
when the Hamble Dramatic Club gave 2 performances involving 3
sketches and a farce in aid of funds for the new Memorial Hall.
There have been a number of groups in Hamble over the years but
Hall minutes record the Hamble Players as a new organisation in
January 1955. The Players thus celebrated 50 years in January
2005!
In 1956 the Players performed jointly with the Folland Amateur
Dramatic society at the Folland Aircraft Theatre. Stuart Jacobs
was the head director in those early days and it was Stu who
set the high standards the Players enjoy today. He had a unique
relationship with the playwright Falkland Cary and the Group
previewed some of the author's plays such as Train Fever
and Proof of the Poison, before they reached the professional
stage. In the 60s Hamble Players put on regular performances for
the boys of HMS Mercury, a local maritime training college.
Since their inception the Players have performed many notable
plays including Othello, Under Milk Wood, and
Arms and the Man, the first Nuffield Theatre production in
1972. The Players were also renowned for Old Time Music Halls,
performed each summer in aid of the local carnival. In
the early eighties the Players entered a competition, staged by
the BBC, called "Support Your Local Theatre". Performing on BBC
South television, the Players went on to win, despite some very
strong opposition from rival companies from across the South.
In the eighties, when Dulcie Gray was patron, the miners'
strike meant power was cut off with little or no warning. One
particular night this happened during a performance - the ever
resourceful Players continued by shining car lights on to the
stage through two side doors and performing sound effects with
voices. Since those early days the Players have maintained the
high standards set by their predecessors, recently achieving many
nominations and success with the prestigious Curtain Call Awards. |
