Progress Theatre
Progress Theatre is a theatre company owning and managing its own theatre on The Mount, in Reading, Berkshire, England, close to Reading University. The theatre is the oldest one operating in Reading and the only venue in the town dedicated entirely to theatrical productions.
The company was formed in 1946, staging its first production in 1947 and has a reputation for excellence.. The theatre itself was opened in 1951.
The company is a registered charity and it is a member of the Little Theatre Guild (LTG) and the National Operatic and Dramatic Association (NODA).
History
Progress Theatre was established in 1946 by a young group of Reading people as a voluntary theatre group in Reading to present new and challenging productions.The first production was staged in 1947 and for five years performances were in Palmer Hall, West Street, Reading. The Mildmay Hall in The Mount was found to be available for rent from the Co-operative Society who agreed to its use as a theatre. The members together with families and friends, converted it into a working theatre and the first production was in October 1951.
Since the 1950s a Student Group for 14 to 18 year olds has existed. It offers instruction in many aspects of theatre twice a week during term time. From time to time, beginning with William Baines' Smugglers Bay in 1957, the group has presented a Christmas play as part of the main offerings of the Theatre.
In 1964, after a massive fund raising campaign, the freehold of the building was bought. The basis of the present foyer was built at that time together with other, then modern, facilities. With other alterations and extensions over the years, productions are still staged in the same building which now seats 97 people.
Present day
The theatre has a membership of about 150 people and puts on a regular menu of classic and contemporary theatre. All of these productions are managed by volunteer members of the theatre.Progress Theatre also produces a yearly outdoor Shakespeare production in Reading Abbey Ruins. This annual production is a large undertaking, managed in co-operation with Reading Borough Council, who permit the use of the grounds in and around the 12th century Abbey grounds. As with in-house productions, this production is completely self managed and, in 2007, was expanded to form the Reading Abbey Ruins Open Air Festival.
Past productions
Progress has presented contemporary plays since its founding and the first performances in England of The Good Woman of Setzuan by Bertolt Brecht and The Shadow of a Gunman by Sean O'Casey were produced at the theatre in 1952 and 1958 respectively.
More recently, Progress has produced a series of Christmas productions based on popular children's books. Some notable productions include:
- Mort by Terry Pratchett (adap. Stephen Briggs) in 1997-1998
- James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl in 2005-2006, using an adaptation by David Wood usually available only to professional productions.
Recent years have also seen productions of notorious plays such as Blasted by Sarah Kane while the more public-friendly yearly open-air Shakespeare productions in the Reading Abbey ruins have proved very popular.
Past seasons
| Productions during the 2005–2006 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Play | Author | Dates | Reviews |
| The Woman Who Cooked Her Husband | Debbie Isitt | 3 October to 8 October 2005 | Theatre archive |
| Godspell | John-Michael Tebelak / Stephen Schwartz | 10 November to 19 November 2005 | Theatre archive |
| James and the Giant Peach | Roald Dahl (adapted by David Wood) | 29 December 2005 to 7 January 2006 | Theatre archive |
| Breaking the Code | Hugh Whitemore | 9 February to 18 February 2006 | |
| Julius Caesar | William Shakespeare | 1 March to 4 March 2006 | |
| Blasted | Sarah Kane | 20 March to 25 March 2006 | BBC Review |
| In the Village / HotChitChat.com (double bill) | Mary Took / Arthur Burke (local writers) | 24 April to 29 April 2006 | |
| Skylight | David Hare | 1 June to 10 June 2006 | |
| Dracula | Bram Stoker (adapted by Glynn Oram, a local writer) | 11 July to 15 July 2006 | BBC Review |
| The Winter's Tale (performed in the Reading Abbey Ruins) | William Shakespeare | 17 July to 29 July 2006 | |
Famous members
- Kenneth Branagh made his earliest theatre appearances with Progress Theatre in the 1970s, including one minor role as "second policeman".
- Dame Judi Dench.
- Marianne Faithfull, a pop singer and actress, was a member of the Theatre's Student Group in the early 1960s.
- Gerard Johnson, a British keyboard player, was also a member of the Theatre's Student Group between 1976 and 1981.
Notes
A. My Voice(s), a piece of new writing featured in the First Write Fest, was subsequently developed and performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2007.
References
External links
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Last updated on Thursday August 28, 2008 at 10:08:37 PDT (GMT -0700)
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