About the Players
The
Players have been around a long time (over 80 years) but we try not
to act our age! Every year, between October and April we stage five
full length plays. Some years we have also taken part in One-Act competions
and other shows. We currently trying to re-build our membership which
over the years has seen a wide range of ages and still has members ranging
from their 20's to somewhat older (70's). Most members are in their
30's-40's.
Thursday evening is our club night in the YMCA, The Walk Cardiff at 7.30pm If you are involved with a play then we also meet on a Tuesday evening for rehersals.
History
In 1927 a small dramatic company
called The Richmond Players found themselves made homeless, until the Y.M.C.A in its true tradition offered them the (then)
somewhat sparse amenities of the Y.M.C.A in Cardiff. Already in residence was another small band of drama lovers, the two
companies amalgamated and the Y.M.C.A players were born. A few full length plays were staged until in the early 1930s the
dramatic society became a Concert Party, which was more to the taste of the public in those days. Known as the Red Triangle
Concert Party the group soon established themselves as experts in this field and toured all over South Wales until the Advent
of the Second World War when they had to disband due to lack of men. In 1945 a few people from the then Junior Section of the
Y.M.C.A started to stage one-act plays, these proved successful and a full length play was scheduled for 1946.
It was then the young players sought the help of Waldo Matthews himself a member of the original company since 1931, he took over the
production side and in May 1947 the first post war play was, " The Man Who Changed His Name". The Players spent many years
at Station Terrace and in 1978 we moved to our new home in the Walk. We were fortunate to be offered some space for a theatre
and had a great deal of pleasure and pain building this. While we were building this, our productions were staged at Pearce
Hall, Monthermer Road, although the players had to cease performing to build the theatre as it is today. The first
production in the new Theatre in The Walk Cardiff was "Bedroom Farce" By Alan Ayckbourn perfomed in October 1981.