We are a Performing Arts charity based in Irchester, on the east of the county of Northamptonshire. The charity’s membership represents a broad cross-section of society coming from all over the county; and our members range from young to old. As a Performing Arts charity, Irchester Players has a clear mission to widen participation, access, training and education in  Performing Arts by all people from all walks of life. It is the charity’s ethos to deliver this through community lead based work.

We rehearse every Wednesday night at Irchester Village Hall, and closer to each show we rehearse on Sundays at Parsons Hall itself.

Our charitable objectives are as follows:

1. To advance, improve, develop and maintain public education in, and appreciation of, the art and science of dramatics and music in all its aspects by any means the trustees see fit, including through the presentation of public concerts and recitals.
2. To advance education for the public benefit of young people in Northamptonshire and the neighbouring counties of England seeking an education or career in the dramatic arts, dance or music through the provision of financial assistance, informal training and teaching, and the opportunity to practice and develop the craft of dramatic arts, dance or musical theatre.

We aim to stage three community based shows every year; a family pantomime in early to mid February, then a revue, musical, play or fundraising event later on in the year – usually around May and October. In addition, we also like to get involved with the local community and run events, shows and revues for other bodies in the village of Irchester and surrounding areas. We also provide access to informal training and education in Performing Arts, through workshops and other events for the public and our members.

The charity also has a specific youth element called Irchester Players Youth. This element of the charity focuses on delivering our second charitable objective to train and educate young people in the arts.

We started life as a members association on 28th January 1977, making the organisation over 40 years old. However, the members association was actually active a few years before this official date. Irchester Players first began as a play reading group in the 1970s, which met on regular occasions to read plays of the members picking. A small group of members decided to move on to acting and set about staging shows and galas for the local community of Irchester and Wollaston – with a regular slot being dedicated to performing for a mother’s group.

Between 1974 and 1975 this small group of actors was coached by the Royal Shakespeare Company, and went on to enter into various play competitions, at which a number of titles were won, including a county title in April 1975. Over this period the group was operating mainly from Wollaston Comprehensive School.

Then in 1977 the group moved its focus to Irchester and staged its first ever pantomime, Aladdin and his Wonderful Lamp, which ran for two days – 28th and 29th January 1977.

The founder members of Irchester Players needed funds in order to continue to stage community productions for the public.

This resulted in the members staging a range of fundraisers events for the youth of the village, a hairdressing demonstration by a leading stylist, a generation game event and car washing service. This was also an opportunity to gain new members of all ages and backgrounds.

In the 80’s, Irchester Players performed a number of Old Time Variety shows. These successful shows led to a touring company, which visited local communities to perform snippets of the shows in hospitals, residential homes, schools and other community groups.

When Irchester Village Hall opened, Irchester Players had a home and went from strength to strength, performing over 50 shows and events in the venue for the community. In the 1990s, Irchester Players were becoming bigger and more active, the time came that the Village Hall could no longer accommodate Irchester Players alongside its other bookings – Players thus became homeless.

The members decided to move to Parsons Hall, Irchester. This community venue needed a lot of work after years of neglect. The members of Irchester Players pulled together to equip the building with electrics and the other infrastructure needed to stage shows. The first production performed at Parsons Hall was Anne of Green Gables, in October 1994. Irchester Players has now performed countless shows and events at the Hall, and has invested large amounts time, effort and resources into the venue to maintain the community asset as a place were live theatre can be staged.

Throughout its history, delivering access to live theatre, increasing participation in the Performing Arts and providing informal training and education for the community has been at the heart of what Irchester Players does. The members were fundamental in raising funds to build Irchester Village Hall and then to equip the stage within this community venue with curtains and lighting.

The group’s archives contain numerous letters of thanks from a wide range of community groups that have interacted with Players through seeing the shows it produced, workshops it organised or assistance it has given. The members have also produced a number of community concerts to celebrate milestones for Irchester and Irchester Players; and is a fixture in Irchester Gala.

In recent times, there has been an increased and renewed focus on community engagement and a push on community cohesion, linking with the local primary school, library, other local clubs (such as the bowls club), Irchester Brownies and the Irchester Historical Society to deliver a wider benefit to the community. Irchester Players have also established strong links with Irchester Parish Council and can count the Mayor of Wellingborough as one of our biggest fans. Strong and historic links also exist with Irchester Working Men’s Club.

On 21 April 2018 another historic milestone was reached, with the members voting to change Irchester Players into a Charitable Incorporated Association. Obtaining charitable status is a massive achievement and cements our concentration on public good.

Irchester Players continues to strive in everything we do and every performance we always put on.

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View a snippet of Irchester Players History dating back to 1976. Our scrapbooks included newspaper articles, old programmes, tickets and more.