The complete guide to all 5 amateur theatres in Bexley Borough

ByMagdalena Marsden

The complete guide to all 5 amateur theatres in Bexley Borough, including reviews, locations, types of play and history.

When was the last time you visited your local theatre? Do you even know if you have one ? Too many memories of sitting through performances where the only thing that was moving was the furniture. Or worse still, where the acting was more wooden than the props? Or where the only thing that was brilliant about the play was the lighting ?

Well these days Am Dram needn’t be Humdrum. Around the Bexleyheath area, for instance, there are three thriving non-professional theatres, each with their own unique character and excellent facilities with an exciting range of productions from the latest plays to old favourites not to mention operattas, musical and pantomimes.

Several top stars have started off in local productions. GWT can claim to have Sir Michael Gambon, no less, as its honorary patron while as a young boy, Jude Law, graced the stage at EAT. Local actors are no different from their professional counterparts, and like to name drop so hang around the bar afterwards for a story or two over a gin and tonic or three.

I go to the theatre regularly (another great benefit of not having a television at home…) and over the last 25 years have seen so many wonderful performances. Since these are a local theatres, we often know some of the actors personally.

For more then 15 years I’ve also always exhibited my crafts and chocolates in the Geofrey Whitworth Theatre during the Christmas show and would always go and see the show on my day off. When I was minding my stall, I would often sit at the bar (as the room was being used for a rehearsals for the next play) and it was great to listen to some of the backstage chatter about the forthcoming plays.

So with so many options to choose from – when are you going to check out the local talent?

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1. Erith Playhouse – Erith

Location: Erith High St, Erith DA8 1QY

So, let me mark your card. For the price of a West End programme, you can see the very best of local talent; splash out on an ice-cream at the interval and there’s no need to rush to catch the last train home. Erith Playhouse is situated by the Thames and just a short walk from the Pier.

In many ways that’s appropriate because it tends to put on more traditional ‘crowd pleasing’ theatre fare, such as Agatha Christie murder mysteries and Ray Cooney farces. The theatre itself is large at nearly 200 seats and its crimson red décor and velvet seats are especially fetching when the lights dim.

The rise of the opening curtain is greeted with enthusiastic applause and the rustle of sweets usually precedes much belly laughter thereafter. During the summer Erith Riverside Festival weekend there are free tours of the theatre and a chance to explore backstage.

The Playhouse in Erith had a humble beginning as the Oxford Cinema, which was opened on 27 July 1913, showing silent movies. In 1938, it closed down as a cinema and reopened as a news cinema for a short time. During the Second World War, the building was used as a store for furniture from the bombed homes in the locality. It is rumoured to have had some more salacious uses at other times, bearing in mind its proximity to the river and nearby wharf, with their workforce of sailors!

The conversion of the cinema for theatrical use was initiated by the volunteers of Erith Theatre Guild in 1947. The Guild had been formed in 1943 to promote greater co-operation between the various amateur entertainment groups in the area. The first annual production was mounted by the affiliated groups in 1944, which had to be staged in school halls, local buildings, and on tour in various unlikely venues. Despite the shortage of money and materials at the end of the war, the Guild made plans for its own theatre and eventually obtained a lease for the old cinema from the local council. The first production was Yellow Sands which opened on 1 October 1949.

By the beginning of 1970s the theatr was in a bad need of refurbishment. Between November 1972 and December 1973, a lot changed. The old outside buildings were demolished, new foundations were laid, and a large amount of new building work, including many front-of-house and backstage improvements, and a completely new frontage for the building, were soon in place. One part of the building which did not change, though, was the original Oxford cinema auditorium and the stage – the “heart” of the theatre was still intact.

The remodelled Playhouse was opened by the Mayor of Bexley, Councillor Turner, on 1 December 1973, for the public to view the new building. The first production on stage was Cinderella in January 1974.

Previously, the theatre did not have its own licensed bar, so audience members would visit one of the nearby public houses before and during the show’s intermission. To ensure that these patrons did not miss any part of the performance, the theatre’s warning bells before curtain-up and after the interval are relayed to the bars in both public houses. Although the theatre now has its own alcohol license, this tradition still continues to this day.

MORE LOCAL PLACES

2. Geofrey Whitworth Theatre – Crayford

Location: Beech Walk, Dartford DA1 4NP

Entertainment may be the aim at Erith but at Geofrey Whitworth Theatre (GWT) there is also a more serious message – to inform and educate the public.

That was the original aim of its founder who brought theatre to the workers at the nearby Vickers Armament factory in the 1940’s. On 18th April 1948, a group of 14 individuals with a shared interest in drama met to form a new amateur dramatic group. The group’s founder members agreed to name the group “The New Theatre Group.” To improve their skills, the founder members decided to produce several productions each year. However, without a permanent base, they toured the local area. In 1948, the group performed their very first play, A Hundred Years Old by Serafin and Joaquin Quintero, nine times across six different venues.

As the group continued to produce multiple productions, they were constantly on the lookout for a permanent base. In 1951, they found a hut in the middle of a cabbage patch in Beech Walk, Crayford. Despite the less-than-glamorous setting, the founder members negotiated a seven-year lease and got to work. They installed electricity, built a stage, and fitted seats. The Hut had become a theatre.

The grand premiere at The Hut was The Devil’s Disciple by George Bernard Shaw in November 1952. Roy Rich performed an opening ceremony to mark the occasion.

The theatre was completely rebuilt during 1957-1959. Dame Sybil Thorndyke, accompanied by her husband Sir Lewis Casson and friend Donald Pleasance, performed the opening ceremony. The first production, was the The Beaux Stratagem by George Farquhar.

GWT deliberately sets the bar high and then vaults over it with a challenging selection designed to provoke and stimulate discussion as well as, of course, to entertain. ‘It may be based in Crayford but sometimes it might as well be off the West End! I heard one person exclaim – but whether in admiration or admonishment – I’m still not certain.

At times, the language may be bad, but the acting never is. To be the Assistant Stage Manager at GWT is one of life’s easier jobs – the actors need no prompting to perform. Audiences are a discerning lot but I do recall gasps of astonishment when a real Camper van was driven on stage during one performance.

The large stage at GWT does lend itself to elaborate settings and productions allowing the actors to shine amid stage craft wizardly. A residential setting means that people not in the know are often amazed that Crayford boasts more than a just dog track.

3. St Martin’s ​Players – Bexleyheath

Location: Huxtable Hall, St Martin’s Church, Erith Road, Bexleyheath, Kent DA7 6LE

It’s also worth mentioning another local amateur dramatic group – St. Martin’s Players which have been going for over 30 years usually putting on about three plays a year. They are linked to the church of the same name (the plays are performed in the church hall) and one of their yearly plays is always a pantomime, which is always a great hit.

4. Edward Alderton Theatre – Bexleyheath

Location: 5 Brampton Rd, Bexleyheath DA7 4EZ (behind the Brampton Road Adult Education Centre and next to the Crook Log Leisure Centre).

Last but not least is Edward Alderton Theatre just down from the bottom of Bexleyheath Broadway and near Danson Park. Whisper it quietly for this is a studio theatre; cosy and intimate at just 70 seats so you are never far from the action. The intimate atmosphere extends to the bar area where the conversation of theatre-goers and stage hands mix readily.

The theatre was built and financed entirely by drama students in the mid-1970s and opened to the public on May 17, 1976 with a production of Oh What a Lovely War, directed by Derek Goulding, the first artistic director.

The theatre company was originally formed in 1951 as part of the new Brampton Road Adult Education Centre. In 1956, the group adopted the name The Brampton Players and began gaining recognition among other local drama groups, winning competitions with original productions. The Brampton Players continued to perform 2-3 plays per season, attracting talented players while working within the confines of a small stage.

In keeping with the experimental spirit, the Alderton Theatre staged original works and was the first non-professional company to produce certain plays. The theatre has received awards over the years for acting, production, and technical achievement.

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5. Rose Bruford School of Performing Arts Theatre – Sidcup

Location: Lamorbey House, Burnt Oak Ln, Sidcup DA15 9DF

And just time to mention that Sidcup has the Rose Bruford School of Performing Arts with a theatre in the round where many a student has graduated to a successful acting career.

In 1950, Rose Elizabeth Bruford founded The Rose Bruford Training College of Speech and Drama in Lamorbey House, an 18th-century Grade II listed manor in Sidcup, Kent. She received support from poet laureate John Masefield and actors Laurence Olivier and Peggy Ashcroft, who were part of the governing board.

The Kent Education Committee leased Lamorbey House to Bruford for £5 annually. Grants aided the college in its early years until it became financially self-sustaining. In 1976, Rose Bruford pioneered the first undergraduate acting degree in the United Kingdom.

This blog post was originally published on 10 October 2014 and last updated on 15 January 2024

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