Friends of The Playhouse

Hundreds of members from far and wide have helped one generous Weston club raise hundreds of thousands of pounds for the town’s premier theatre.

To send a link to this page to a friend, simply enter their email address below.

The message will include the name and email address you gave us when you signed up.

Email address

  Send link

To send a link to this page to a friend, you must be logged in.

The Friends of The Playhouse has donated more than 100,000 to the High Street theatre, and has helped it gain the prestigious title of most hospitable theatre in the country.

The society began in 1991 as a small group of local theatregoers but has since bloomed to about 650 members - and not just Westonians either. Members hailing from Wales, Bristol and Gloucestershire are also part of the club.

The Friends mantra is to encourage public support of The Playhouse, provide volunteer staff and to raise money to benefit the theatre.

The money raised by the society has been spent on a myriad of improvements and upgrades at The Playhouse. Recent projects include splashing out 4,500 on new house curtains and silvers and another 7,000 on a new lighting system.

The Friends also marked the theatres 10th anniversary in 2001 by buying a new grand piano for around 10,000 and the group has also bought dimmers for the lighting, a two-way radio system for staff and a new system to enable the hard-of-hearing to listen to the performances better.

The Friends volunteer five members for each show to help carry out ticket and door duties and seven in pantomime season, and the friendly faces which greet theatre-lovers have even been recognised nationally in the industry.

Recently, the theatre was voted most hospitable in the country in the Encore Theatre Magazine Awards - thanks in no small part to the big-hearted voluntary work the Friends take part in.

Membership costs just 8 a year for adults and 1 for under 16s. Friends are entitled to a 10 per cent discount on many shows and are encouraged to help out by selling programmes, collecting tickets or meeting and greeting customers.

There are also an array of social activities on offer including theatre trips and parties. The Friends also meet most Saturdays for an informal coffee and a chat in the theatre bar.

THE FACTS:
Name of club: Friends of The Playhouse.
Founded: 1991.
Who the club caters for: Anyone interested in supporting The Playhouse and making sure it can carry on putting on superb shows and attracting thousands of people to the town every year.
Meeting place and time: There are regular committee meetings but the Friends met informally for a coffee morning at the theatre bar every Saturday.
Chairman: Bryan Moyse.
Who to contact for more details: Pick up an application form from The Playhouse, in Weston High Street, call the box office on 01934 645544 or log on to www.theplayhouse. co.uk/friends