A
Brief History of Wimborne Drama
Wimborne Drama was formed in November 1928 by a group of enthusiasts
- led by Leonard 'Motty' Mottram, an English teacher at the Queen
Elizabeth Grammar School - who called themselves 'The Wimborne Dramatic
Society'. There were other drama groups in the town before this date
no doubt, but no official record of them has been found.
The society's original purpose was to be a social club for theatre-goers,
but in 1932 it took the bold step of actually staging a production
- and it picked an ambitious first project. Ambrose Applejohn's
Adventure had a cast of over forty people and the few remaining
photographs show it was a rather stylish affair.
After the War the group merged with Wimborne Operatic Society. This
relationship was short lived due to the high cost of staging operatic
productions (which ate into the profits made by the dramatic society!)
and a sad but amiable parting took place. The dramatic society re-emerged
as Wimborne Drama Club.
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Ambrose
Applejohn's Adventure
(1932)
Early
plays were staged at the Women's Institute Hall until it was demolished,
and then at Church House. Fire restrictions caused this venue to
be abandoned in favour of "the new secondary modern school at Pamphill"
(now QE). When the Allendale Centre opened in 1970, the club at
last had a permanent home. There we remained for the next twenty-four
years.
In 1994 came a major step forward when the Tivoli Theatre reopened.
Wimborne Drama was invited to become the resident amateur group
and we haven't looked back since!
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