ABOUT THE REP

Small Beginnings

The Rep company dates back to 1920, when a group of young people interested in amateur theatre came together to put on a play to raise money for charity. They hired the Empire Theatre in Longton and the production took place as a matinee performance in February 1921.

By 1923 they had begun to call themselves The Stoke-on-Trent Repertory Players. Over the next few years they put on productions in several different venues which included the Theatre Royal in Hanley and the King’s Hall in Stoke.

A Theatre of Their Own

The dearest wish among our pioneering members in the 1920s was to find a home of their own. In 1929 they were able to rent a large room on the top floor of Webberley’s Bookshop in Hanley where they set up “The Studio”, with seating for an audience of 100. The facilities were limited, the stage makeshift, but they stayed for three years.

Subsequently a golden opportunity arose in 1933 when they took out a lease on the church hall for the parish of St. Jude in Beresford Street, Shelton. Initially the agreement was for three years; The Rep bought the property outright in the early 70s; and the company remained at this venue until the autumn of 1997.

A New Dawn

In the early 1990s The Repertory Players began to search for yet another home. The site favoured by many members was the building where it had all begun way back in 1921, The Empire Theatre in Longton. Sadly, plans to purchase this wonderful period property came to an end when the theatre was destroyed by fire on New Year’s Eve 1992. This resulted in the idea to have a new, purpose-built theatre.

In November 1997, The Rep was proud to open a brand, new 235 seat theatre in Leek Road, Stoke-on-Trent. The theatre was built with the help of the Arts Council, a National Lottery grant, the support of the City Council, funds raised by the membership and the generous sponsorship of local companies.

The Rep Today

Ninety years on The Rep is still thriving. We have a current membership of approximately 125 volunteers and we offer our patrons an annual season of six plays, occasional studio productions and an annual production by our youth company, The Young Rep.

by Peter Croft (Theatre Archivist)

(Peter is currently writing a book about the history of The Rep with our Chairman, John Collier)

The Rep Theatre also houses productions by visiting companies,

For more details on how to hire the theatre please contact Malcolm Rushton (Head of Planning) on (01782) 209897.

Stoke Repertory Theatre is a member of the Little Theatre Guild (LTG). The LTG was established in 1946, and The Rep has been a member since 1947.

The LTG comprises member theatres throughout the UK all working to a number of aims including -

• Promoting co-operation
• Improving standards
• Co-ordinating development
• Lobbying on behalf of independent amateur theatres

Each member theatre has an elected LTG representative.

To find out more about the LTG contact The Rep or click on the link below.