Rotherham Amateur Repertory Company – The Rep –began in 1926 as the Northfield Players, a church-based drama group near Masbrough. Its purpose was to bring theatre to local audiences and boost church funds. In 1931, it became the Rotherham Playgoers and began performing at The Temperance Hall on Wellgate which attracted larger audiences: they performed comedies, farces and “serious” drama such as George Bernard Shaw and European dramatists.
The Second World War put everything on hold, but when peace was restored in 1945 the Company relaunched as the Rotherham Repertory Company. For the next 12 years, it performed six plays each season at the Regent on Howard Street, Rotherham.
In 1957, the Regent was demolished and the Rep moved to the Town Hall’s Assembly Rooms whose stage was described as an “exaggerated shelf”! Thankfully, Rotherham Civic Theatre was opened in 1960 – with a Rep production of Pride and Prejudice. Today, the Civic Theatre remains the Company’s main performance venue.
Although the Company has staged nearly 500 plays, few have been performed three or more times – and of these, only three have been revived more often. Hobson’s Choice by Harold Brighouse and The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde have both been staged four times. The top slot goes to JB Priestley’s When We Are Married, presented five times.
The most performed playwrights are Alan Ayckbourn, whose plays have been staged 32 times, Agatha Christie (16 times) and JB Priestley (14 times).
Productions have always been planned to offer variety for both audiences and Rep members. These can be ambitious plays with large casts and elaborate settings – such as Macbeth early in 2026 – or smaller productions with creative staging – such as The Hound of the Baskervilles in September 2026.
2026 is also a remarkable year for the Rep, as it has a new home in the Old Unitarian Chapel on Downs Row. For the first time in many years, the Rep has everything under one roof – rehearsal facilities, a workshop for building sets and a store for props and costumes. A significant landmark!
As Rotherham has changed so too has the Rep but it still offers a space where local people can participate in the arts as performers, backstage workers, or loyal audience members.
On its entry into a second century, Rotherham Rep is a testament to the power of local theatre with a rich history of commitment, community and continuity with new chapters still to come.
To mark the centenary, ‘The History of Rotherham Rep’ has been published online. Researched and written by Rep member Paul G Daniels, it gives a rich account, drawing on archives, programmes, memories and photographs, many from the collections of Kate Marshall and Betty Dale, the Rep’s longest serving member.
To access ‘The History of Rotherham Rep’, visit https://g.shrinkrl.com/Roth_Rep_History.
The Rep’s next production, George’s Marvellous Medicine, is at Rotherham Civic Theatre Tuesday 10th to Friday 13th November.