About Rowntree Players

Rowntree Players has a very long association with the Joseph Rowntree Theatre. We perform a range of material from plays to musicals and also produce the annual pantomime.

We are an amateur society run by our members. As a member of Rowntree Players, you can get involved in either acting or backstage work or simply benefit from reduced admittance to shows.

A Brief History

The Rowntree Players came into being in 1912 although they were then known as the Cocoa Works Dramatic Society. They staged their first production, Pinero's “Sweet Lavender”, at the De Grey Rooms on the l5th and16th of February of that year. For one Cocoa Works employee this was a first and last appearance as he was reprimanded by his chief for spending too much time on rehearsals, late nights and using the office telephone excessively while selling tickets.
 
The society then appeared to go into hibernation for some years, but then received a major boost with the arrival of Walter G Shepherd in 1923. He was an outstanding actor and producer, was a member for 56 years and then became the society's President For many years the Players staged their productions in the Lecture Hall, which presented production problems, however the building of the Joseph Rowntree Theatre originally known as Joseph Rowntree Hall, in 1930s gave them facilities comparable with many professional theatres.

In 1952 William Wallace. Chairman of Rowntree & Co, and President of the Rowntree Players, presented the society with a cup, subsequently named the William Wallace Trophy, to be awarded annually for the best performance of the season.
 
Following the 39-45 war Ted Atkinson joined Rowntree & co and together with Walter Shepherd played a major role in re-establishing the Players Ted had professional stage experience and during the war had been a Unit Entertainments Officer providing entertainment for the troops as they waited for D Day.

He extended the Players range and programme by introducing the “Maytime Follies'' a concert party style revue which he produced and which played to packed houses for some years. In 1980 he produced the Players first pantomime ‘Babes in the Wood' which set what was at that time a box office record for the society. The Principal boy was a newcomer Janet McTeer, who went onto achieve outstanding success on stage and screen Another player to achieve success on the professional stage was John White, He appeared in the York Mystery Plays as Adam, and subsequently as Christ, a role normally reserved for professional actors. Some years later he turned professional and joined the Royal Shakespeare Company  appeared with the National Theatre and in many Television programmes, including Coronation Street. Sheila Barker who played Eve, to John White's Adam also joined the professional ranks and appeared On television in Compact. The most recent Player to turn professional was Neil Roberts, who recently appeared at The Theatre Royal in ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’.
 
Other distinguished names include Sir Donald Barron, Chairman of Rowntree A Co and Sir Giles Shaw who left to be an MP for Pudsey and will always be remembered for his lead role in Toad of Toad Hall. Today the Rowntree Players occupy their own rehearsal rooms in York and are experiencing an increase of both active and audience members. Recent successes have included the Yorkshire Premiere of Spend Spend, Spend, lt's a Mad House, and Willy Russell's Stags and Hens,