Who are we?

Woodcote Amateur Dramatic Society (WADS) was founded in 1965 and has an established reputation for staging musical/Drama/Panto theatre productions that are of an exceptional standard using talent from in and around Woodcote.
We are an enthusiastic friendly group, and we stage productions in spring and autumn and these include a varied selection of entertainment. Recent years have seen a number of successful murder mystery evenings, various revues, plenty of comedies, and some musical evenings. We have in the past staged an annual pantomime which was extremely popular locally but since the Covid Pandemic we have been unable to run this event. We are hoping to revise the traditional pantomime this year.
WADS members get together on a regular basis throughout the year for a number of other fun events.

Some more of our History

A minute book survives for a Woodcote “Playgoers” Club in the 1950’s which visited local productions and put on a limited number of productions, including pantomimes, but did not survive long.
After this short-lived precursor, a quartet of Tom and Anne Hinds and Barry Gibbs, from the Oratory School, and Margaret Fowgies established the Woodcote Amateur Dramatic Society (WADS) in the early 1960’s. The first production was “Jane Steps Out” in 1963 and a pattern was quickly established of two productions per year in the spring and autumn, together with a pantomime in the New Year. This has largely survived to the present, although it has proved necessary to move to a more flexible timetable in the light of modern career demands and more flexible holiday arrangements.
Membership grew quickly, although, throughout our history, many members, particularly men, have joined with no intention of treading the boards but have swiftly been persuaded to abandon their area of technical expertise for the pleasures of acting.
 

Life & Honorary Members

Life Members

Keith Ashby

Carole Wylie

Bella Saunders

Chris Chant

Peter Saunders

Gloria McAdden

Sandra Evans

Nanette Stacey

Terry Sopp

Sandy Worsfold

John Worsfold

Honorary Members

Ken Poyser

Joan Poyser

Mary Hulbert

 

Come and joins us

To see what we’re currently working on, please follow the "Our Next Show" link on our Home Page - better still, come and join us on any Thursday evening in the Woodcote Village Hall.