ABOUT US
WPDS stage 2 main productions each year at the Adrian Mann Theatre NESCOT in April and November, and usually a production of one-act plays in June or July at the Elmcroft Community Centre, North Cheam.
OUR SOCIETY
We are an established amateur drama group with an acting membership of approximately 30. We also have several non-acting members providing invaluable skill and support behind the scenes.
Our base and scenery store is at the Elmcroft Community Centre in North Cheam. During rehearsals we meet here every Tuesday and Friday from 8pm – 10.30pm.
We have achieved a reputation for staging performances of a high standard and for the quality and attention to detail in our sets. Our productions include dramas, comedies, ‘whodunnits’, historical dramas and pantomimes.
We are a proud member of NODA (National Operatic and Dramatic Association), who oversee approximately 2,500 amateur groups throughout Great Britain. After each production we receive a full review and over the years have been recognised with a variety of NODA awards.
New members are always welcome. Whether onstage or behind the scenes, there are many ways you can be involved including set design, construction, scenery, lighting, sound, costumes, props and stage management.
Members can enjoy regular play readings, quizzes and social events throughout the year. We also have a very active social scene, which includes meals out, trips to the pub, karaoke nights and theatre trips.
OUR HISTORY
Worcester Park Dramatic Society was founded in 1927 when it also had a choral section. Although the singing is not for the public these days, the drama continues to flourish. For virtually all of its life, WPDS has been an affiliated member of NODA and several of our many productions have won NODA awards. These include Tom Jones in 1970, Arthur Miller’s The Crucible in 1996, Surprise Package in 2007, and Norman Holland’s The Militants in 2011.
WPDS has always been known for the variety of plays performed, the standards achieved and also the quality of our set design. Our productions have varied from historical dramas such as Robert Bolt’s A Man for All Seasons in 1973, to serious dramas such as Jeffrey Archer’s Beyond Reasonable Doubt in 1993 and to comedies and farces such as Neil Simon’s Rumours in 1995. It wasn’t until 2016 that WPDS expanded further with our first ever pantomime The Dragon of Wantley.