The Marlborough Players

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The Marlborough Players

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Since 2006, the Marlborough Players have staged regular live performances in the town, as well as play readings and a number of recorded online radio plays.

We have a healthy membership, but new members are always welcome. Our Company

The Marlborough Players was founded by Barbara Clauson, Ian Philpott & Jack Hawkes, when support for 2004’s “Wheels of Time” play marking the 800th anniversary of Marlborough’s Charter, clearly indicated that there was an enthusiasm for a drama group in the town once again. We have staged numerous productions since, as well as a number of online radio plays and occasionally organise play readings. Although we have a healthy membership, we are always looking for aspiring actors and directors to join our happy band, as well as those willing to help backstage. If you are interested and would like further details, please contact the Secretary, Mrs Pat Turvey - [email protected]

05/10/2026

🎭 Calling all Directors - Bring your vision to our stage! ⭐

We may be in the midst of rehearsals for our November production, but the Marlborough Players are already looking ahead and searching for a passionate, imaginative director to lead our March 2027 show (18th-20th).

This is a wonderful opportunity to bring your vision to life with a committed, friendly company and a very enthusiastic local audience. Interested?

🎬 Tell us a little about yourself:
• Your directing experience, style and approach
• Any plays you’re particularly excited to tackle together with a short synopsis & cast size

To find out more or to send your proposal, please contact our Secretary, Pat Turvey, via [email protected] by Sunday 11 October, including a contact telephone number.

⭐⭐ Come and help shape the next chapter of the Marlborough Players. We can’t wait to hear your ideas!

The Marlborough Players 🩷

30/09/2026

🎭 Could you spare a little time to help the Marlborough Players? ⭐

If you enjoy a good walk around town, we would love to hear from you. We’re looking for just two more volunteers to join our wonderful team and help hand-deliver flyers around Marlborough between 18th and 31st October. The flyers are to publicise our November production of Tim Firth’s comedy “Sheila’s Island”.

It shouldn’t take more than a couple of hours in total, and you can fit it in whenever you have some spare time.

We particularly need help covering:
1. 🏠 London Road
2. 🏠 Hazel Close, Barnfield, Willow Close, Elcot Lane & Barrow Close

If you can lend a hand with either of these areas, please leave a message below and we’ll be in touch.

With grateful thanks for your support! ❤️

The Marlborough Players

24/09/2026

🎭 We’re thrilled to announce that our November production will be “Sheila’s Island” by Tim Firth, the writer of “Calendar Girls” and “Kinky Boots”! 🌴

⭐ Four women.
⭐ One very ill-advised adventure.
⭐ An island.
⭐ A lot of friendship, grief and laughter.
⭐ And absolutely no guarantee that anyone knows what they’re doing…

This gloriously chaotic all-female comedy-drama promises big laughs, plenty of heart and the kind of adventure where the best intentions go spectacularly - and hilariously - wrong!

📅 Save the Dates: 19th–21st November
📍 Marlborough Town Hall
⏰ 7:30pm

The play is cast, the scripts are out, and rehearsals are already underway! And, if the sound coming from the rehearsal room is anything to go by, we’re in for a lot of laughter along the way.

👀 Follow our Facebook & Instagram pages to be the first to see more exciting details coming very soon 🩷

This Amateur production of Sheila’s Island is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals Ltd. on behalf of Samuel French Ltd.

17/09/2026

🎉🎭 20 years, 27 productions & so many stories worth remembering! ❤️

20 years ago, in 2006, we stepped onto the Town Hall stage for the very first time. And what a journey it’s been! As we celebrate our anniversary year, we’re diving into the Marlborough Players archives and revisiting some of the productions that have left a lasting mark on our story.

Back in November 2009, Sue Baxter directed our fifth production, “A Day in the Death of Joe Egg” by Peter Nichols. It is darkly comic and deeply challenging play exploring love, marriage, family, and the pressures of caring for a child with severe cerebral palsy. Bri and Sheila are devoted parents to their ten-year-old daughter, Josephine (“Joe Egg”), but the demands of caring for her placed enormous strain on their marriage. Bri uses sarcasm, jokes, fantasy and role-playing to escape his frustration, while Sheila remains determined to care for their daughter. As the day unfolds, Bri’s desperation reaches breaking point, leading to a devastating attempt to leave Joe outside in the cold. She survives - but the experience makes one thing painfully clear: Bri can no longer cope. Ultimately, Bri leaves Sheila and Joe, while Sheila faces the future with a determination to carry on!!

📸 We’ve delved into the archives to bring you a selection of photographs and programme extracts from this memorable performance - capturing just a few moments from a powerful chapter in the Marlborough Players’ history.

Cast:
🎭 Alexander Rogers - Brian
🎭 Gail Sinden - Sheila
🎭 Howard Wilkinson - Freddie
🎭 Sara Danesh-Pour - Pam
🎭 Carol Sykes - Grace
🎭 Evie Harbury - Joe

The Marlborough Players ❤️

🔜 Our next production runs from 19-21 November - To be sure to receive all the details as soon as they are announced, why not follow us on Facebook & Instagram.

03/09/2026

🎂 20 years of memories, laughter & celebrated performances! 🎉🎭

Twenty years of the Marlborough Players means twenty years of unforgettable performances. Today, we're looking back at two other much-loved audience favourites from the archives. If you were part of the casts, crew, or audience, this one's for you.

June 2011 marked a first for the Marlborough Players, as we staged two one-act comedies instead of a single full-length play. These became our 7th and 8th productions, bringing audiences an evening of laughter and thought-provoking theatre.

📚 The evening began with Nick Hall's play “Pastiche”, directed by John Williams. This witty and thought-provoking comedy explored identity, originality and imitation. Through humour and literary references, it questioned whether true originality is ever possible, leaving audiences with plenty to think about as well as laugh at.

🩳 After the interval, the curtain rose on Andrew Davies’s play, “Thermal Underwear”, which was directed by David Williams. This humorous yet insightful comedy explored embarrassment, insecurity, ageing, pride, masculinity and the fear of being judged. Through the simple question of whether to wear thermal underwear, it revealed the deeper vulnerabilities we all share.

📸 Click on the attached photographs to revisit both casts in action. You’ll also find a few extracts from the original programme. Take a look and see how many familiar faces you can spot!

The Marlborough Players ❤️

🔜 Our next production runs from 19-21 November - To be sure to receive all the details as soon as they are announced, why not follow us on Facebook & Instagram.

21/08/2026

👻 The Marlborough Players at 20! 🎭

We're celebrating 20 years of Marlborough's local drama group by shining the spotlight on another unforgettable production from its history. If you were there in any capacity, we think you'll enjoy this look back.

This week, we're revisiting November 2011 and our 9th show: Noel Coward’s much-loved supernatural comedy, “Blithe Spirit”, directed on this occasion by David Sherratt. In the play, novelist Charles Condomine invites the eccentric medium Madame Arcati to conduct a séance as research for his latest book. To everyone's astonishment, she accidentally summons the ghost of Charles's first wife, Elvira, whose mischievous attempts to win him back create hilarious chaos for Charles and his current wife, Ruth.

The play proved such a hit with local audiences that we revived it for a second run in 2024. This time, it was directed by Alison Andre and was every bit as popular as its original production. Better still, Rosemary Curtis returned 13 years later to reprise her unforgettable role as the delightfully unconventional Madame Arcati, delighting audiences once again with her memorable performance.

Enjoy this look back at “Blithe Spirit” through photos from the 2011 production as well as extracts from the original programme. We hope they bring back happy memories for those who were there - and perhaps introduce newer members and audiences to one of our most memorable shows.

The Marlborough Players ❤️

🔜 Our next production runs from 19-21 November - To be sure to receive all the details as soon as they are announced, why not follow us on Facebook & Instagram.

07/08/2026

🎭 A Landmark Year: The Marlborough Players Turn 20! 🎉

To mark two decades of the Marlborough Players, here is another look back at a much-loved production from our archives. Whether you were in the cast, backstage, or in the audience, this one's sure to bring back memories.

This week, we're revisiting November 2012 and our 11th production: J. B. Priestley's classic comedy, “When We Are Married”, directed by David Sherratt. In the play, three respectable couples gather to celebrate their silver wedding anniversaries - only to discover they may never have been legally married! What follows is a brilliantly funny mix of chaos, secrets, and misunderstandings in one of Priestley's best-loved comedies.

We hope you enjoy these shots of the cast in action, along with a glimpse of one or two of those behind the scenes. Combined with extracts from the original programme, these images bring back the laughter, fun, and memorable moments that delighted audiences at the time. You may even spot a few familiar faces!

The Marlborough Players ❤️

🔜 Our next production runs from 19-21 November - To be sure to receive all the details as soon as they are announced, why not follow us on Facebook & Instagram.

24/07/2026

🎭 The Marlborough Players have something to celebrate! 🎉

As part of our 20th Anniversary celebrations, we're revisiting some of the performances that have left a lasting impression on the Marlborough Players and our audiences.

This time, we're stepping back to June 2010 and our sixth production: Joe Orton's brilliantly dark comedy, “Entertaining Mr Sloane”, directed by Sue Baxter.

Set in a rundown corner of 1960s London, Orton's classic play follows Kath, a lonely woman who takes in a charming & mysterious young lodger, Mr Sloane. As Kath and her brother become increasingly fascinated by their enigmatic tenant, secrets emerge and relationships become tangled in a wickedly funny tale of manipulation, desire and betrayal.

Here, we've selected a collection of photographs and programme extracts from our archives, capturing some of the moments that made this production such a memorable part of the Marlborough Players' story. Enjoy the trip down memory lane!

Cast:
- Donna Doubtfire - Kath
- John Yates - Ed
- Alexander Rogers - Sloane
- Eric Partington - Kemp

The Marlborough Players ❤️

🔜 Our next production runs from 19-21 November - To be sure to receive all the details as soon as they are announced, why not follow us on Facebook & Instagram.

08/07/2026

⭐ Marlborough Players - 20th Anniversary Celebrations 🎉

As part of our 20th Anniversary celebrations, we're continuing our look back at some of the performances that have helped shape the story of the Marlborough Players.

This time, we're revisiting our 2013 production of Alan Bennett's hilarious farce, “Habeas Corpus”.

Set in the Wicksteed family home, “Habeas Corpus” is a riotous satire where family, friendship, and the pursuit of the pleasures of the corpus (the body) collide. Packed with mistaken identities, comic misunderstandings, and amorous escapades, Bennett's outrageous comedy of ill manners is perfectly summed up by its memorable motto: "He whose lust lasts, lasts longest."

These photographs and programme extracts capture some unforgettable moments - and perhaps a few familiar faces from too!

Thank you to everyone who helped make this production such a memorable part of our journey.

The Marlborough Players ❤️

🔜 Our next production runs from 19-21 November - To be sure to receive all the details as soon as they are announced, why not follow us on Facebook & Instagram. Links at the top of our profile page.

28/06/2026

🎭 As part of our 20th Anniversary celebrations, over the coming months we thought you might like to look back at some of the performances that helped shape our story.

Where better to start than at the very beginning? Here are just a few photos from our very first production, J.B. Priestley’s classic thriller “An Inspector Calls”, staged in June 2006. The Town Hall was packed to the rafters as audiences turned out in force to support our debut performance. Set on a spring evening in 1912, the play centres on the prosperous Birling family at their home in Brumley, an industrial town in the North of England. As they celebrate the engagement of their daughter Sheila to Gerald Croft, heir to a successful business empire, an unexpected visitor arrives. A police inspector's investigation soon exposes secrets, tensions and uncomfortable truths that will change their lives forever!!

What makes this production even more special to look back on is the incredible community effort behind it. A total of 41 local people from the town and surrounding villages were involved in the cast and production team. Looking through the extract from the programme brings back many memories. Sadly, some of those who helped bring this first production to life are no longer with us, but their contribution remains an important part of our history. Remarkably, five members of that original team are still involved with the society today.

Twenty years on, we're proud to celebrate the people, passion and community spirit that made it all possible!

The Marlborough Players ❤️

🔜 Our next production runs from 19-21 November - To be sure to receive all the details as soon as they are announced, why not follow us. 👍

Address

Marlborough

Website

http://www.wegottickets.com/MarlboroughPlayers, http://www.marlboroughplayers.co.uk/

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