Estuary Players was formed in Topsham in 1977, initially to perform Murder in the Cathedral in the parish church.
That first group of players formed the nucleus of the new company, which went on to present an average of two plays a year in the Matthews Hall, although occasionally elsewhere. Classics have mixed with modern writing, and there has been a distinct strand of new work written by members throughout the company's life.
We are managed in the usual way, through a small committee whose membership usually changes by about 25% each year, and there is no hierarchy around roles - every job is as important as the next, and indeed as indispensible as the next. What are we good at? Probably not for us to say ourselves, but you could ask our loyal audiences, who have got used to seeing everything from Whitehall farce to expressionist drama, and who ensure that we are financially stable, and capable of taking some chances from time to time, or staging something a bit more expensive.
Always Room for Improvement....
Like many community companies we lack good facilities for the storage of scenery, so we usually go for minimalist staging, augmented by good lighting - not that that should be a bar to good theatre. We are also keen to recruit new and younger members who could add strength to our design, props, lighting and costume operations.
If you have checked out our past productions list, you will see that being eclectic doesn't mean you have to include banality, or so-called box office certainties. (cut to) We are proud of a recent playbill which includes Shakespeare, Greek tragedy , music hall, German political opera and, a recent trend, gritty Northern comic dramas, along with a strand of member-written shows about local events and history. Come and see our next show, and join us for the Next Stage....
Past Productions
2025 The Hypochondriac
2024 Entertaining Angels The Shakespeare Revue
2023 Like a House on Fire Loot
2022 Duets The Mellstock Quire al fresco
2021 The First Cut al fresco The Mellstock Quire
2019 The Memory of Water The First Cut
2018 Whodunnit Much Ado About Nothing
2017 Confusions The Roses of Eyam
2016 A Midsummer Night’s Dream May We Remember
2015 California Suite Blithe Spirit
2014 The Provoked Wife King Lear
2013 The Mysteries The Cemetery Club
2012 Brassed Off Separate Tables
2011 Pack of Lies Threepenny Opera
2010 The Good Old Days Ladies Day
2009 Visiting Hour The Winter's Tale
2008 Oedipus Rex The Odd Couple
2007 The Real Inspector Hound Tales from Kites Hill
2006 Cold Comfort Fa A Month in the Country
2005 Blue Remembered Hills Arms and The Man
2004 Run for Your Wif The Beaux' Stratagem
2003 Ring Round the Moon Twelfth Night
2002 Sing Cuckoo Maria Marten
2001 The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui Hedda Gabler
2000 Dancers in the Leaves House Guest
1999 Wyrd Sisters The Fire Raisers
1998 A Man for All Seasons Hobson's Choice
1997 The Tempest The Noble Spaniard
1996 Outside Edge The Cherry Orchard
1995 School for Scandal
1994 Habeas Corpus All Fall Down
1993 Tartuffe
1991 A Young Man's Fancy Vinegar Tom
1990 The Birthday Party Happy End
1988 Gemquest
1987 A Midsummer Night's Dream The Canterbury Tales
1986 The Good Person of Szechwan Candleford
1985 The Happiest Days of Your Life The Ghost Train
1984 The Constant Wife Mixed Doubles Hard Times
1983 Ten Times Table Under Milk Wood
1982 Whose Life Is It Anyway Doctor in the House
Caucasian Chalk Circle
1981 Enter A Free Man The Orchestra/Harlequinade
Lark Rise
1980 The Roses of Eyam Toad of Toad Hall
1979 A Slight Ache The Importance of Being Earnest
Oh What a Lovely War
1978 Tom Jones The Crucible
1977 Murder in the Cathedral The York Nativity Play
