Carlton Theatre Group (formerly Carlton Dramatic Society) is an
Amateur Dramatics group, based in
Wimbledon
Wimbledon most often refers to:
* Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London
* Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships
Wimbledon may also refer to:
Places London
* ...
,
London,
United Kingdom.
The troupe was formed by a group of enthusiasts from
Wimbledon Park and
Southfields
Southfields is a district of inner London located within the London Borough of Wandsworth, England, 5.6 miles (9 km) south-west of Charing Cross. Southfields is mainly residential, historically a part of Wandsworth itself, and is divided b ...
in 1927. These included
ghosthunter and playwright
Harry Price, who used the Society to perform his first play. During the
Second World War its activities were suspended by the
Emergency Powers (Defence) Act 1939. In 1946 the group returned to the stage in a production of
Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictiona ...
's ''
Ten Little Niggers'' (using the original title).
In 1963 the Society toured the major churches of South East England culminating in two nights at St Paul’s in
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...
and St Matthew’s in
Slough
Slough () is a town and unparished area in the unitary authority of the same name in Berkshire, England, bordering west London. It lies in the Thames Valley, west of central London and north-east of Reading, at the intersection of the M4 ...
.
Prince Philip aware of the hype surrounding the production invited the society to perform the play in
St. George's Chapel
St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle in England is a castle chapel built in the late-medieval Perpendicular Gothic style. It is both a Royal Peculiar (a church under the direct jurisdiction of the monarch) and the Chapel of the Order of the Gart ...
,
Windsor Castle. This single performance was on
Maundy Thursday and the entire
British Royal Family were present for the
Easter break. The cast was presented afterwards and the
Queen told the cast that she had been 'very moved'.
Carlton celebrated its 80th birthday in 2007 with a 1920s themed party which was attended by over 100 members, past and present.
The group continues to perform a wide range of plays around Wimbledon. They perform regularly at the
Wimbledon Time and Leisure Studio Theatre. In recent years their repertoire has included
Shakespeare,
Molière,
John Godber,
Ray Cooney alongside original works tackling contemporary issues.
In 2018 the Group won three awards from the
National Operatic and Dramatic Association, including best male and female actors, in the summer production of ''
The Importance of Being Earnest''.
The President of the Society until her death in 2018 was
June Whitfield. In 2019 the Actor, Director and Playwright
David Wood agreed to become the Society's President.
References
{{reflist
External links
Carlton Theatre Group Official Site- Information, Photographs of Productions, News of forthcoming performances
Theatre companies in London
Wimbledon, London
1927 establishments in England
Arts organizations established in 1927