Although we, the Wayland Players, are in our 61st year of unbroken amateur theatre in Watton this year, the tradition of amateur dramatics locally goes back much further. George Jessop has spoken of his father performing in a group called 'The Wayland Dramatic Society' in the 1890s and also of a travelling band of actors called, he believes, 'The Curtis Players', who employed his father to act with them. Later, in 1926, Frank Faulkner was the instigator in founding 'The Watton Players', a group which staged plays for some dozen years until the beginning of the Second World War caused its demise.
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Early performances were given in the Wayland Hall on a gas-lit stage, augmented by a pair of old car headlights powered by an accumulator! The gas lights, we understand, caused great complications for the person whose job it was to turn them off during the intervals. This involved crawling about in the audience with a long, hooked pole. Other inconveniences were caused by the fashion of the day, evidenced by a note in a programme which read 'Ladies are requested to remove their hats to add to the enjoyment of those sitting behind them'.
After some years, there was a move to Barnham's Sale Room, where performances continued under modern electric lighting.
After the war years, the Young Conservatives staged a group of one-act plays and later a full-length play 'Quiet Weekend', and then, in 1949, The Wayland Players were founded, with Gregor Shanks as the first Chairman and 'The Ghost Train', by Arnold Ridley, the choice as first play.
Since that date, there has been half a century of unbroken amateur theatre in Watton, with audiences enjoying, with one or two exceptions, two full-length major productions each year. A move from the Sale Rooms came with the wonderful local volunteer effort between 1952 and 1956 to purchase, dismantle, re-locate and fit out an aircraft hangar which became, originally, the 'Coronation Hall' and by 1956, the much-loved "Queens Hall". November 1956 saw the Wayland Players performing for the first time in The Queens Hall, their choice being 'Murder at The Vicarage', by Agatha Christie. The Queens Hall has been the home of The Players ever since.
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There have been many high points in the years since. The Players' 21st birthday was celebrated in 1970 with a production of 'Tom Jones' with the audience seated on the new, and once more voluntarily-built, raised seating.
Recent times have seen The Players aiming to please their audiences with a mix of comedy, farce, thriller and drama. We support the biennial Watton Festival by performing a short melodrama, and providing the Chairman and stage crew for the Victorian Music Hall.
Another recent development has been the significant growth of the Friends of The Wayland Players. We now have in excess of 150 local people who regularly support our productions, and join us in social events. Knowing that we have a core audience has been very encouraging, and enables us to stage more ambitious and costly productions. We are also benefit from the support of several local businesses who comprise our corporate friends
So, we end this brief history with our sincere thanks to our audiences, to the hundreds of local people who have been involved with The Players over the years and to the countless folk who have supported us. To you all - THANK YOU!