Author Margaret Dowland
Over the years the village has had various Thespian groups.
In the 1950s Mrs Pellew and Mrs Williamson ran a drama group in the village hall they would put on performances once or twice a year. Mrs Pellew lived at Wedgewood and Mrs Williamson on a farm towards Gimingham
The subject of this performance is unknown, but very fine costumes and props.
This was a production of Nursery Rhymes. Little Miss Muffet is present, Mary Mary Quite Contrary, Old Mother Hubbard,Jack and Jill, perhaps Little Boy Blue? If you can recognise any please do let us know.
The Adults also held a Nativity Play in the Church with the addition of two angels, again it is thought to have been in the 1950s
Maude Wayte, Grace Snelling, Mrs Hales, Mrs Rawles, Pam Tannent, Mrs Drury, Ivy Gotts, Mrs Bryant, Millie Botwright, Janet Buck, Wendy Burton Pye, Celia Drury, and Ruby Scott.
In the 1970s Mrs Bowen -Jones produced a pantomime of which we have no photographic evidence unless you can help us out?
Then in the 1980s Mrs Bowen-Jones with Verily Anderson of Templewood had a Shakespearean group which as far as we know held one production of ‘Fools and Faeries’ in the grounds of Templewood.
SOUTHREPPS CHILDREN’S DRAMA GROUP
Author Sarah Westlake
In 2010 Neil Primrose and Sarah Westlake decided to form a drama group for children living in Southrepps village. The group took place in Ruggs Hall at St. James Church. Initially we decided it would be for age ranges from 8 to 12 but as time went by the numbers and interest increased and we took children from 6 to 13.
The group was on a Sunday early evening, I think from 4pm to 6pm.
Activities always started with drama games and then improvised work together. We would then think of a theme or subject and split the children into groups; they would prepare a piece and then perform it to everyone. We had a break in the middle for drink and biscuits,which the children loved. Neil was a governor at Antingham and Southrepps School at the time, and Sarah was a Teaching Assistant there. The majority of children in the drama group attended the school, but not all of them. We ended up on average with approximately 20 children.
We decided it would be good to perform something that their parents/guardians could come and see and decided on a play called Us and Them by David Campton. This is an excellent play for children as everyone can be accommodated. The play is as relevant today as it was when it was written in 1972. It is about two groups of wanderers who initially agree to share space and mark a boundary, but gradually develop suspicion and mistrust, ultimately leading to conflict. The play explores how divisions can arise even when there’s an initial desire for harmony, with the two groups building a wall that symbolizes their growing estrangement. The play is just one act, so afterwards we showed some of the children’s favourite improvisation sketches that they had devised. This event took place in the Southrepps Village Hall and was really well attended.
The group ran for two years and then circumstances arose for both Neil
and Sarah, which sadly meant we were unable to commit ourselves to this weekly and do all the preparation for it. It was fun and successful at the time, and greatly enjoyed by the village children.
Did you take part in this group. Do you have any photographs of the performance ?