Welcome to the Faringdon Dramatic Society's Website

"Entertainment for all the family in Faringdon and beyond"

2017 Faringdon Town Nativity - a Christmas celebration by Steve Bellamy
2018 Dick Whittington - a pantomime by member Peter Webster
2014 The Scarlet Pumpernickel - a pantomime by Dave Buchanan
2013 A Midsummer Night's Dream - a play by William Shakespeare
2015 Living Together - a comedy by Alan Ayckbourn
2017 So Long Leonard - a show written by member Carolyn Taylor
2019 Wishing on a Star - a pantomime by members Helen Thrower & Verity Roberts
2015 The Snow Queen - a pantomime by member Peter Webster
2010 Cold Comfort Farm - a play by Paul Doust
2010 Aladdin - a pantomime by Ron Hall
2017 Arthurs Adventure - a pantomime by member Peter Webster
2009 Beauty and the Beast - a pantomime by member Carolyn Taylor
2013 Wife After Death - a comedy by Eric Chappell
2011 Dick Whittington - a pantomime by Alan Frayn
2013 Jack and the Beanstalk - a pantomime by member Peter Webster
2017 Cider With Rosie - an autobiography by Laurie Lee
2012 Present Laughter - a play by Noel Coward
2011 The Odd Couple - a comedy by Neil Simon
2016 Agatha Crusty and the Village Hall Murders - a comedy by Derek Webb
2020 Aladdin - A pantomime by member Peter Webster
A selection of programmes across the decades - click to visit our archives
2017 My Friend Miss Flint - a comedy by Donald Churchill & Peter Yeldham
2012 Cinderella - a pantomime by member Peter Webster
2014 Reflections (1914-1918) - a collection of memories, letters, songs, sketches and short plays
2016 Happily Ever After - a pantomime by members Helen Thrower & Verity Roberts
2014 Steel Magnolias - a comedy drama by Robert Harling

We hope that you will come and enjoy our productions. Faringdon Dramatic Society has been entertaining the local community for over seventy years and the standard of acting has often been compared to that seen at a professional theatre. The society has been the proud winner of many county and national awards.

And it isn’t all about the acting! We are also often complimented on the excellent quality of the stage set, make-up and costumes used in our productions. You may be surprised to hear that all are created specially “from scratch” for each production by the hard working “behind the scenes” members of our society. Why not come and join us? Everyone is welcome.

Next Production

Enchanted April

A romantic comedy by Matthew Barber
Wednesday 15 May 2024 - Saturday 18 May 2024
Buscot Park Theatre
Enchanted April takes you on a magical, theatrical holiday to a small castle on the Mediterranean, Northern Italy.

Tickets

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Advance Booking Office

This production has now finished

Last Production

The Ruby Slippers

A pantomime by Bex Hutchings
Friday 26 January 2024 - Sunday 28 January 2024
& Friday 2 February 2024 - Saturday 3 February 2024
The Elms Primary School
An original pantomime, inspired by the story from ‘The Wizard of Oz’.

Dates for Your Diary

Thursday 4th July - 7pm - reading some of the Vagina Monologues and Love, Loss and What I Wore. See email for details.

Sunday 1st September (weather permitting) our annual FDS barbecue. Details to follow.

Thursday 5th September - fun evening looking at some passages from Shakespeare led by Carolyn Taylor.

Saturday 28th September - 'A Night at the Musicals' at The Corn Exchange, with all profits going to the charity Helen & Douglas House.

Thursday 3rd October - workshop on comedy and timing led by Bex Hutchings. We hope these workshops will be in the United Church starting at 7:30.

Monday 7th October - Read through for panto.

Thursday 10th October - Auditions for panto. Rehearsals will start immediately afterwards.

November - possibly The Vagina Monologues in the Crown Ballroom. Nothing definite yet.

24th-26th January & 31st January-1st February 2025 - performances of our next pantomime 'Cinderella' by Alan Frayn.

Come Along and Join Us

FDS-10yr-service FDS-25yr-service We are always pleased to welcome new members. As well as acting and directing there are always opportunities to help with set building, front of house, and much more. No experience is necessary. Just come along to any reading, audition or performance published on this website and introduce yourself. Whether you want to be in a play or just help back stage or front of house you will always be made welcome.

What has FDS ever done for us? As a member of Faringdon Dramatic Society you can ... read more (FDS-MembershipBenefits.pdf).

Interested in joining the society? - click here

Want to put your daughter/son on the stage for our pantomime? - click here.

We are always looking for suggestions from members for play readings and offers to direct plays of your own choice. Plenty of help is always available if you haven't directed before. Please contact us with your ideas.

Canada Exchange

flags-UK-CND-sml Faringdon Dramatic Society currently have an exchange partnership with the Garrison Little Theatre in Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada. Three times now they have come here and we have gone there to put on a production. The objective of the ‘twinning’ was, and still is, to give theatregoers from around Faringdon and Fort Erie the opportunity to see plays that would otherwise rarely, if ever, cross the Atlantic.

Garrison Little Theatre first came to Faringdon in September 2007 to perform 'Lend Me a Tenor'. Then again in October 2011 to perform a joint production of 'London Suite', followed by ‘Office Hours’ in May 2015 and 'Airport Tales' in May 2019.

We first went to Fort Erie in May 2008 to deliver a performance of 'Outside Edge', done here two weeks earlier. Then again in June 2012 to repeat the joint production of 'London Suite', done here the previous October. Then followed in June 2016 with 'Side Effects'. We were hoping to return with 'Ladies' Day' in 2021.