The group was formed in 1982 with great hopes, boundless enthusiasm and very little else. Looking back, to be brutally honest, some of our earlier productions weren't up to much, but what we lacked in experience and talent was largely compensated for by a willingness to try anything and an inventiveness which gave a freshness to much of what we did. Pantomime, Variety shows, Old time music hall, Comedy, Drama, we did it all and perhaps because of the variety and freshness of what we did, we began to find that we were attracting a regular audience. Also, because we have always believed in self-sufficiency, we have never been faced with the financial problems that have beset (and finished) many other small groups. 

But we were never content with what we were doing, we always wanted to be better and gradually, with experience and the influx of new talent, we improved. Inevitably, we began to refine our ideas of what we wanted to be and concentrated on the areas we seemed to be best at. Since the early 1990's, we have limited our repertoire to plays and in doing so, tried to improve the quality of what we were offering. 

Was it successful? Well, our audience has continued to grow, the 'crits' have generally been good and we have won awards, so we seem to be on the right lines, but our feet are still firmly on the ground. We can always see room for improvement and we know that 'You're only as good as your last production', so that self congratulation and complacency do not have a place in our way of doing things. 

But don't get the wrong idea about us, at the end of the day, we want to enjoy ourselves as well and there is an inevitable element of fun in everything we do. Rehearsals for even the most serious of plays could at times be mistaken for a comedy show and we have social events as a further extension of the enjoyment factor. But once we are up there on stage, we believe in giving the best performance we can. 

We realize that one of the ways forward in our continuing quest for improvement is the introduction of new talent and we are always ready to give a welcome to newcomers. So, if we sound like the kind of group that would appeal to you, why not come along and have a close look. We perform three productions a year, in January, May and October. If you wish to join us or require further information, you can contact us at :- theatreatbaddow@tiscali.co.uk 

 

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