The Shiphay Amateur Dramatic Society has been bringing community theatre to the Shiphay stage since 1957. Each year we present three plays and a pantomime from St John's Church Hall, Cadewell Lane, Shiphay, Torquay, Devon.

All age groups and talents are welcome to join us as there's more to community theatre than acting. There is a whole world of back stage jobs crucial to putting on a play, and we value those with a flair for light and sound, stage management and set construction equally. We strongly believe that when the tea break comes, the person holding the kettle is the second most important member of the society, behind the person who brought the biscuits!

If you're new to the area or looking to try something different, we hope you will feel welcome and valued, as we encourage all members to muck in on the run up to performance night.

The joy of community theatre is that, whilst amateur, we can pride ourselves on professionalism and the standard of our productions.

Rehearsals are held in the small room at St John's Church Hall twice a week. We meet on Monday and Thursday evenings from 7.30pm to 10 pm with the obligatory break part way through the night for tea, biscuits and a chat with friends.

With eight weeks set aside for rehearsals, we have separate set building days and extra technical and dress rehearsals in the run up to the performance nights.

You are welcome to come along to rehearsals to see the group in action. Members often drop in to see the progress of productions even if not cast and we appreciate the support and encouragement this provides. With two Saturdays set aside for 'stage ups' all members are encouraged to join in the fun as we hammer, screw and paint our sets.

Membership fees are currently £15 per year; £5 for those under sixteen years of age.

With a capacity of 120, St John's Church Hall has been our home for over fifty years. As a not-for-profit group we are grateful to the support and sponsorship of local businesses.

At just £5 an adult ticket, we present one of the best value nights out in Torquay. Tickets can be purchased directly from our ticket agents at the Shiphay and Collaton Post Office, Cadewell Lane (opposite St John’s Church Hall).  Tickets are available at the door on the night of each performance and can be reserved in advance through the contact number on the current events section of this website.

As members of the South Devon Drama Federation, each year one of our plays in entered into their festival which takes place in June. For two seasons we have performed a one act play at the Dart Drama Festival. In 2011 we have entered a one act play into the Teignmouth Drama Festival. In 2011 we are also staging a one-off evening of modern monologues. The Society is a member of NODA.

Even better value can be found with our season ticket, which takes the form of associate membership. For the bargain price of £15, an associate member receives the benefit of a softer seat in the front few rows of the hall. They also gain a free production, with four performances for the price of three. In 2010 our associate members were invited to a special evening of one act plays. For more information, please use the contact us section of this website.

Budding directors should be aware that our management committee is now looking out for three plays and a pantomime for the 2011/12 season. The selection is announced towards the end of the current season, so do feel free to submit a script for consideration.

Our committee members are elected at the Annual General Meeting in June.  For the 2010/11 season our committee comprises of  Jolyon Tuck (chairman), Pat Gillies (secretary), Pat Cook (treasurer), Hilary Gameson (publicity officer and vice chairman), Pat Bidder (secretary to the associate membership), Georgia Brooks, Lisa Turner, David Jackson and Peter Davis.