As you may have read on our ‘About Us‘ page, The Anglian Players (TAP) has been a group focused on bringing entertainment to the local area for 75 years now. Due to COVID-19, the group massively changed how things were with an updated logo, a new location for rehearsals and plays.
Prior to the group starting in 1951, the only drama group in March was the ‘Evening Institute Class’. They put on productions for people in the new hall in the Hereward School (now commonly referred to as the FE Centre). During the summer that year, a group of people decided to form the new dramatic society which was referred to be ‘like The Little Theatre in Wisbech’. This dramatic society turned out to be what people know as ‘The Anglian Players’ that we have today.
TAP’s first production was in St Peter’s Church Hall in March and was a production of three one-act plays that were linked with musical interludes between each play. The first of the three plays was ‘A Room in the Tower’ which was about Lady Jane Grey. This was produced by Marjorie Wilkinson, who also had the lead role of Lady Jane Grey. The second play was ‘Heaven on Earth’ of which the lead was played by John Mobbs. The third and final play in this production was called ‘Mother’s Pride, or, What is Home Without a Drama?’. This was a domestic comedy with Doris Richmond playing the mother, and her daughter Sheila Richmond in a supporting role.
Due to the success of this production, it led to a full length play called ‘Who Lies There?’ which was to be performed at the Hereward School in the Spring of 1952. The original ticket prices for 4/6d (four shillings and sixpence), 3/6d (three shillings and sixpence) and 2/- (two shillings) and a membership of the society cost £1 a year.
In 1953, the group presented their first production on the stage of the Regent Theatre, which stood adjacent to the old grammar school on Robingoodfellow’s Lane. ‘Goodness How Sad’ was the first of many plays to be performed there. The venue was large and well-equipped, which made it a popular venue. The Regent (as it was called as a nickname) was often filled to capacity for three, if not more performances. The Anglian Players then moved back to the Hereward School when the Regent was refitted as a nightclub in 1962 (however unfortunately the Regent burnt down on New Year’s Day in 1978). In 1963, TAP moved to the High School (now known as Neale-Wade Academy on Wimblington Road) and then they moved once again in 1965 to the Further Education Centre (the old Grammar School), which was renamed the March Youth and Community Centre (but often called the FE Centre by most people). This stayed TAP’s home until 2020 when COVID stopped the performances of people due to needing isolation and being in lockdown.
The Anglian Players have been an integral part of March history prior to moving to Chatteris in 2020. Rehearsals were held in ‘Oakwood’ in West End, which is now the Riverside Practice and then following this, they moved to having rehearsals in the Hippodrome Cafe upstairs, which has been converted from a cinema to a Wetherspoons.
In 2001, TAP celebrated their 50th anniversary with a three show production. The first in the three one-act plays was again ‘A Room in the Tower’ as this was the first play ever performed by The Anglian Players. Following this was ‘Gosforth’s Fete’ which was first performed in 1994 as a comedic show interlinked with four other one act plays which were published together as ‘Confusions’ in 1976 by Alan Ayckborn. The final play was a premiere called ‘Last Tango in Little Grimley’ by David Tristram.
Each show had a cast of either four or five people in total, with there being several crew and people backstage to help out with sound, lighting, front of house and more.
During COVID lockdown, the group had to move out of the FE Centre due to their refurbishment of the stage area making the already rocky time, even harder. The play that was going to be done had to be shut down due to lockdown restrictions on social gatherings and the entertainment sector almost being completely shut down to reduce the spread of the disease.
Thankfully, we were able to move to Chatteris at The Green Welly due to Maria Whiting, who also gave us storage space to keep all costumes and props, along with anything else that is needed for our various plays. Our first play after COVID was ‘Pride and Prejudice’ written by Andrew Clark, our current chairman. ‘Pride and Prejudice’ was also the 70th anniversary of TAP, and featured the first appearance of many of our current members. This was then followed by a few smaller plays, and in recent years The Anglian Players has found their most popular idea, producing a pantomime at Christmas, with our latest panto, Puss in Boots (December 2025) almost selling out completely.
Previous Productions from 1951 onwards
1951 – Concert
1952 – Who Lies There?
1953 – Till Further Orders
1954 – Young Mrs. Barrington
1954 – But Once A Year
1955 – A Pig in a Poke
1956 – Dark Cottage
1956 – Leap in the Dark
1957 – Miranda
1958 – Flare Path
1958 – The Shop at Sly Corner
1959 – Sailer Beware
1959 – The Heiress
1960 – All for Mary
1960 – The White Sheep of the Family
1961 – Night Must Fall
1962 – See How They Run
1962 – Strictly Business
1963 – Angels in Love
1964 – Murder Mistaken
1964 – Watch it, Sailer!
1965 – Out of Thin Air
1965 – Goodnight Mrs. Puffin
1966 – Someone Waiting
1966 – Reluctant Heroes
1967 – A Letter From the General
1967 – The Brides of March
1968 – Busybody
1968 – Off the Deep End
1969 – Anastasia
1969 – Rock-a-bye Sailor
1970 – The French Mistress
1970 – Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime
1971 – The Killer Dies Twice
1971 – The Murder of Maria Martin
1972 – Not Now Darling
1972 – Wanted One Body
1973 – Madam Tic-Tac
1973 – Off the Hook (?)
1974 – Blithe Spirit
1974 – Wild Goose Chase
1975 – Double Yolk
1975 – Cat on the Fiddle
1976 – The Importance of Being Ernest
1976 – Breath of Spring
1977 – Women of Twilight
1977 – Move Over Mrs. Markham
1978 – Ladies in Retirement
1978 – I’ll Get My Man
1979 – Just Get the Ticket
1980 – Post Horn Gallop & Tabitha
1981 – The Bride & The Bachelor
1982 – Your Obedient Servant
1982 – No Time for Fig Leaves
1983 – A Murder is Announced
1983 – Surprise Package
1984 – Separate Tables
1984 – The Happiest Days of Your Life
1985 – The House by the Lake
1985 – Fool’s Paradise
1986 – An Inspector Calls
1986 – Fish Out of Water
1987 – The Paper Chain
1987 – Christmas With The Anglian Players
1988 – Fumed Oak / The Godsend
1989 – Murder Deferred
1989 – Panic Stations
1990 – My Three Angels
1991 – The House on the Cliff
1991 – Season’s Greetings
1992 – Something to Hide
1993 – Fools Rush In
1994 – A Lady Mislaid
1994 – Social Evening
1994 – The Farndale Avenue Murder Mystery
1995 – Death Walked In
1995 – Social Evening
1995 – Out of Focus
1996 – Double Cut
1996 – Social Evening
1996 – Top Gear
1997 – The Secret Tent
1997 – Social Evening
1997 – Key for Two
1998 – Murdered to Death
1998 – Social Evening
1998 – The Farndale Avenue A Christmas Carol
1999 – It Must Have Been Murder
1999 – A Summer Review
1999 – A Tomb With a View
2000 – Cat’s Cradle
2000 – The Council’s Dilemma
2001 – Gaslight
2001 – A Room in the Tower, Gosforth’s Fete & Last Tango in Little Grimley
2007 – Allo’ Allo’
2008 – The Hollow
2009 – Beyond A Joke
2009 – The Importance of Being Ernest
2009 – See How They Run
2010 – Wild Goose Chase
2011 – Noises Off
2011 – Blithe Spirit
2011 – Confusions
2012 – Readings of 4 Short Comedies by Anton Chekov
2012 – Kindly Leave the Stage
2012 – Outside Edge
2012 – Reality Check
2013 – Life and Beth
2013 – The White of the Family
2014 – Hi-de-Hi!
2015 – A Fete Worse Than Death
2017 – Allo’ Allo’
2017 – Don’t Get Your Vicar’s in a Twist
2018 – Play On!
2021 – Pride and Prejudice
2021 – Murder Around the Mistletoe
2022 – A Variety of Love
2022 – Marian, or The True Tale of Robin Hood
2022 – Nick Tickle, Fairytale Detective
2023 – Wingin’ It!
2023 – Dick Whittington
2024 – Drinking Habits
2024 – Cinderella
2025 – Harvey
2025 – Sleeping Beauty
2025 – Puss in Boots
2026 – The Haunted Cabin (Upcoming)
2026 – The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Upcoming)