Taunton Thespians - 80 years on

11:12am Wednesday 13th February 2008

A TAUNTON theatre group is celebrating its 80th birthday today.

Taunton Thespians notched up its 80th anniversary and is planning a series of events to mark the milestone.

Since it began in 1928, the group has staged more than 331 productions.

In the summer the Thespians plan to celebrate their anniversary by welcoming members of the public to their home, 'The Place' in East Reach, where they will hold a rehearsed reading of the their first production, Tilly of Bloomsbury, performed at the Lyceum Theatre (later to become the Odeon).

The Thespians will also display their archives, period costumes and props, which are still used for their productions today.

The group has a history of delighting local audiences but in 1936 courted controversy when the Lord Chamberlain, who then had to approve plays for performance, repeatedly refused a licence for a one-act original, The Sickness of Salome, deeming it blasphemous.

In a letter to the play's author, Wilfred Westlake, the Lord Chamberlain's office wrote: "It is in effect, a burlesque of a portion of the New Testament."

The group persisted though and the play was eventually the play was staged.

Another highlight from the group's past was borrowing the original costumes from the film The Scarlett Pimpernel, starring Leslie Howard and Merle Oberon, for a production in 1938.

During the war the 1943 production of Laburnum Grove helped the town to realise its goal: "Taunton's aim: A hundred spitfires - Half a million pounds." Soldiers and officers played in the orchestra to accompany the performances, and the Thespians toured military camps, aerodromes and hospitals to raise moral.

Chairman of publicity Michael Gilbert said: "The Thespians went from strength to strength after the war, staging up to five full-length productions a year.

"For most of the time, along with the other community theatre groups in the town, they strove to get the local authorities to provide Taunton with a theatre of its own."

Their aim was realised over 30 years ago with the building of the Brewhouse where they performed their first play, The School for Scandal.

These days, as well as two major productions at The Brewhouse, the group stages one act plays for the Somerset Festival of Drama, at least two more shows at The Place, an outdoor tour, and murder mystery evenings.

• THE Taunton Thespians are now rehearsing for Suddenly at Home by Francis Durbridge, which they will perform from March 11-15.

In the summer they will be putting on 12 open-air performances of The Rivals by Sheridan, which will run for two weeks in June For more information, e-mail michael@lewisgilbert.co.uk, or log on to www.tauntonthespians.org.uk