Richmond Amateur Dramatic Society (RADS) has made the most of the pandemic by spending the time revamping their clubrooms.
The building in the town’s Castle Hill has undergone a new lick of paint inside, and time has been spent improving the woodwork on the outside of the building.
New windows have been installed and repairs have been made to some of the walls suffering from damp.
Other changes to the clubrooms include having a large sort out of the stored props and scenery, and the introduction of a large library of scripts for society members to borrow and read.
“With the various lockdowns and meeting restrictions it’s now been over a year since RADS has been able to get together” said current chair of the society, Warnock Kerr.
“We felt that it was an opportune time to be able to make much needed improvements to the building.
“Normally we would be rehearsing for shows throughout the year, so in a way it’s been good to have a long chunk of time to make these updates.”
RADS like other societies has seen their shows cancelled and moved throughout 2020 and 2021 as government regulations changed.
“We were very unfortunate in that the first lockdown of 2020 happened just as we were about to take our Spring show into the theatre,” said Warnock.
“All of the actors had dedicated a huge amount of time getting ready to perform Arcadia by Tom Stoppard, it was incredibly disappointing for both the cast and the crew.
“We now have a confirmed date in November for our performance of Arcadia and we are really looking forward to starting rehearsals again at the end of August.”
Richmond Amateur Dramatic Society performs three shows a year at the Georgian Theatre Royal as well as having a regular club night on the second Monday of each month (August excluded).
For further info about joining the society, contact Gregan on secretary@richmond-ads.org.uk
Arcadia by Tom Stoppard will be performed at the Georgian Theatre Royal from the November 11 to 13.
Tickets are available from the theatre box office on 01748 825252
