Society History

"The Society was formed only early this year as an Educational and Musical Institution, and it is considered a town's movement."

This is how the programme from the first production, "The Yeomen of the Guard" heralded the birth of "Stockton Amateur Stage Society" as we were then known. All the talent to work upon was obtained from a local newspaper advertisement and Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera was presented to the public on 15th November, 1920 at Stockton's Hippodrome Theatre. The production merited much confidence for the future.

The society prospered and continued to entertain. Successful productions, plays, operettas, contemporary musicals and numerous concerts have benefitted many charities locally and nationally.

Over the years, the Society has made use of many stages, amongst them, the Hippodrome (as previously mentioned), Darlington Civic Theatre, Ropner Park Open Air Theatre and most recently the Billingham Forum Theatre. Strength in chorus, principal players, actors and dancers has often belied the Society's amateur status.

Many past members have gone on to join the professional ranks, Jean Povey with Sadlers Wells; Pauline Wales, Beryl Dixon and Fred Sindon with D'Oyly Carte; Alan Webster with the George Mitchell Singers; John and James Lavelle with the Black and White Minstrels and the Danny LaRue shows. More recently Gerard Duffy was standby in the London production of Les Miserables (amongst other London shows). Phillip Aiden (formerly Smith) appeared with Tommy Steele in "What a Show" and with Gary Wilmott in "Me and My Girl". Suzanne Clark, our lead in Carousel, is making a name for herself in the world of Opera.

Others too numerous to mention have become concert soloists, and upheld musical tradition in various aspects of the theatre both amateur and professional.

In 1995 an exhibition celebrating three quarters of a century of Stockton Stage Society was mounted at the Green Dragon Yard Museum in Stockton. Photographs and reproductions of every programme produced, combined with informative text, vividly recalled the past and provided the viewer with a real trip down memory lane.