Richings Players

09/06/2026

You're Invited!
We warmly invite you to join us for our Annual General Meeting on Friday 3rd July 2026.
Please arrive in time for an 6pm start Heather Harpers house.
As in previous years, the meeting will follow our usual AGM format. We’ll be sending out the agenda and officers’ reports in advance for your review. On the night, membership renewals can also be paid in person.
After the formalities, we’d love for you to stay, catch up, and enjoy the evening with your Richings Players friends!
We hope to see you there!
Agenda:
1. Apologies for Absence
2. Minutes of the AGM held Friday 13th June 2025 for approval
3. Matters Arising from those minutes
4. Matters arising from the Hon Secretary and Hon Treasurer's reports for the year ending 31 May 2025 sent out in advance of this meeting
5. Adoption of the Hon Treasurer’s Report and accounts for the year ending 31 May 2025
6. Chairman’s report and thanks including awards presentation
7. In memory of Joan Gibbs
8. To Appoint Officers and Committee for the year to 31st May 2026
The following Officers retire in accordance with the rules:
o Chairman: Evelyn Stafford-Allen (who offers herself for re-election)
o Vice Chair: Pippa Vinall (who offers herself for re-election)
o Hon Secretary: Laura Coady (who doesn’t offer herself for re-election)
o Hom Treasurer: Helen Baker (who offers herself for re-election)

The following committee members retire in accordance with the rules
o Les Brewer (who offers himself for re-election)
o Kam Khatker (who doesn’t offer herself for re-election)
o Jamie Quirke (who offers himself up for Secretary)
o Emma Purgusey (who offers himself for re-election)
9. Nomination of any New Members who wish to join the Committee
10. Election of Hon. Auditor
11. Confirmation of Subscriptions for the year 2026-2027 (Subscriptions are to help cover insurance and running costs of the society):
a. Adult Membership: £15.00
b. Family Membership: £35.00 per family ( 2 adults plus children aged under 18)
c. Young Players: £10.00 per year (age under 18)
d. The annual membership fee will be applicable from 1st June 2025. A show fee may also be applicable.

03/06/2026

Do you have a passion for costumes and clothing? Are you organised and proactive? You could be exactly who we're looking for.

We're seeking someone to take responsibility for managing and developing our costume store. This could suit someone who simply wants to get involved and help out, or someone interested in creating a small costume-hire business by renting our costumes to other societies.

The role is flexible and has plenty of potential to grow, but it could also work perfectly for someone who would prefer to help on a show-by-show basis.

If you're interested, we'd love to hear from you. Please email [email protected] or give Evelyn a call on 07950 039827 for an informal chat.

03/06/2026

Just like the Wolf, we're searching for our 'Three Little Pigs' for Into the Woods!

These performers will also be part of the ensemble, appearing throughout the production as an omnipresent presence within the story.

We are looking for enthusiastic performers aged 11 and over. All genders, experience levels, and backgrounds are welcome to audition. Whether you're young or old, we'd love to see what you can bring to the woods! Please contact [email protected] for more information.

01/06/2026

The woods are stirring...

What an enchanting first rehearsal for Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods this evening! As the first notes were sung and the story began to unfold, the magic was already taking shape.

There were giants to chase, wishes to be granted, and more than a few moments of theatrical confusion:
“What bar are we at?”
“What page are we on?”
“Sorry... where are we?”
And perhaps the most important question of all: “When are the cast T-shirts being printed?”

The path through the woods may be winding, but every great adventure begins with a single step. We have an incredible cast, a dedicated creative team, and a wonderful story to tell. There is much work ahead, many songs to master, and countless details to weave together, but we know the destination will be worth the journey.

A special thank you to our endlessly patient Musical Director, Toby, who guided us through the evening with skill, humour, and remarkable perseverance. And, as we've already discovered, in the world of Sondheim, “That will do” simply won't do!

So, as Cinderella heads to the festival, Jack climbs his beanstalk, Little Red ventures into the forest, and the Baker and his Wife chase their wish, we begin our own adventure.

Join us this autumn at Iver Village Hall as we venture Into the Woods... because the best stories happen when you dare to leave the path.

28/05/2026

The Richings Players are turning 100! 🎭🎉

Yes, really — 100 years of drama, laughter, music, costumes, backstage chaos, and entertaining the wonderful people of Iver! We honestly can’t believe it ourselves.

We’re so proud to be celebrating this amazing milestone, and incredibly grateful for all the support our community has given us over the years.

To help spread the word, Oakwood Estates would love to display our centenary boards around the area during June — and we’d love your help! Would you be happy to have a board outside your house for a few weeks?

If you’d like to help us celebrate 100 years of The Richings Players, please reply to this post or email [email protected] and we’ll be in touch.

24/05/2026

It’s curtain up on 100 years of Richings Players! 🎭

For a century, the Richings Players have been entertaining the Ivers, bringing laughter, music and community spirit to members and audiences alike — and now it’s time to celebrate.

So it’s curtain up once again for a special one-night-only centenary evening featuring members past and present, with performances inspired by productions spanning the decades and memories from 100 years on stage.

Rather than a full-scale theatre production, this promises to be a warm and relaxed evening of entertainment, reflection and celebration — a chance to revisit favourite moments, share stories, and catch up with friends old and new.

🕕 Doors open at 6pm
🎭 Entertainment begins at 7pm

Whether you’ve performed with us, supported us from the audience, or simply enjoy local theatre, we’d love you to be part of this very special evening.

📍 Iver Village Hall
📅 Saturday 27th June 2026
🎫 All money raised for this event is for Thames Hospice in memory of our beloved Joan Gibbs. The minimum ticket price is £5 however we are asking that you dig deep and pay what ever you are able too for this great cause. All money raised will be sent to the charity.
🎟️ Tickets available here: www.ticketsource.co.uk/richingsplayers

Come and celebrate a century of Richings Players with us.

23/05/2026

We’re thrilled to announce the cast for our upcoming production of Into the Woods, directed by Toby Stafford-Allen.

Congratulations to everyone who auditioned — we were blown away by the talent on display and can’t wait to bring this production to life!

21/05/2026

𝐍𝐞𝐰 '𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐬' 𝐎𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬!

AGE RANGE EXTENDED - REPLY BY 4PM SUNDAY

Now that most of our lead roles have been cast, we are looking to cast some younger female supporting roles for our production of Into the Woods.

If anyone aged 11+would like to audition, please email your interest to [email protected] by Sunday at 4pm

Please include:
• Name
• Age
• Contact number

The audition piece will be Little Red’s song from Into the Woods.

𝘞𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘺𝘰𝘶!

19/05/2026

𝗔 𝗵𝘂𝗴𝗲 𝗚𝗢𝗢𝗗 𝗟𝗨𝗖𝗞 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗼𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁! 🌲✨

We are so excited to see all the talent, creativity and character you bring into the room. Remember - there is no “perfect” way to perform these roles. We want to see your interpretation, your energy and your storytelling.

Most importantly, enjoy the experience, support one another and be proud of yourselves for putting yourselves forward. Auditioning takes courage and we already can’t wait to begin this journey.

And spare a thought for our audition panel, who undoubtedly have the hardest job of the night:
🎭 Toby Stafford-Allen (Director)
🎭 Les Brewer (Committee Member)
🎭 Kaitlin Florida-James (Committee Member)

We know they are going to have some very difficult decisions ahead!

𝘉𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘢 𝘭𝘦𝘨 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦!💫

18/05/2026