A Brief History of the Society

The Wisbech Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society (WAODS) have been providing musicals to the town since 1905. However, it's difficult to decide when WAODS was actually founded. Tradition has it beginning in 1921, but its real beginnings can be traced to the 1890s when a group of local people gathered to perform recitals from operas in the Cambridgeshire town of Wisbech, the Capital of the Fens.

The first official report of WAODS was in a 1905 newspaper review that reported on the formation of a group called the Wisbech Amateur Operatic Society who performed “A Moss Rose Rent” in front of an enthusiastic audience at the Selwyn Hall. The show was organised on behalf of the North Cambs Hospital and raised £60 for the hospital.

In 1926 the Wisbech Amateur Operatic Society changed its name to become the present Wisbech Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society ‘in order that, if desirable, dramatic works could be produced in addition to light operas.'

In 1937 WAODS put on ‘Good Night Vienna' that had first been produced the previous year in London. It ran for six nights in Wisbech and special buses were laid on for the outlying districts. These were the days of anonymous donations of four hundred free tickets for local children, over one hundred patrons and lucky prize numbers in the programmes! This all came to an end in 1940 with the production of ‘The Desert Song' being cancelled due to the Second World War.

The first attempted revival took place in 1945 with a production of “Merrie England”, but had to be cancelled because ‘there were too few males!' Things don't change do they?!

It wasn't until 1950 that the Society was able to put on a show again. This was ‘The Lilac Domino'.

By 1955 advertisers in the programme had to be put on a rota system for the privilege of advertising inside the front cover! The show this year was ‘Oklahoma', the first time it had been seen in East Anglia. This wasn't to be the only ‘first' for WAODS, as in 1959 the Society produced ‘The Merry Widow' being one of the first societies to do so.

The 1960s were the Society's heydays with big productions and big casts, but there was concern about whether these types of shows would be able to continue.

1970 was WAODS 50th anniversary and it celebrated with a wonderful production of ‘The Sound of Music'. In 1975 a new innovation came to the Society – pantomime! – with ‘Mother Goose' being performed at a local school. 1978 saw the start of the Society's long association with the professional producer Ray Jeffery, when he produced 'Oliver', his first of 27 shows with WAODS. 1979 saw the first summer production with ‘Songs from the Shows' being performed at the Angles Theatre, and it was in this year that the annual pantomime moved to the Empire Theatre.

In 1990 the society started the decade with a bang, producing a record four shows – ‘Seven Brides for Seven Brothers', ‘The Fenman Follies', ‘Little Shop of Horrors' and ‘Peter Pan'. 1991 saw the composer and lyricist of ‘Salad Days' attending the opening night, and 1993 saw Ray Jeffery producing AND taking the rôle of Tevye in ‘Fiddler on the Roof'.

Sadly, Ray Jeffery said goodbye to the Society in 2005 with his final production for WAODS being ‘Anything Goes' which had to be performed at the local Isle College, as the owner of the Empire Theatre, the Society's home since 1933, converted the entire stalls to bingo seating, which made it impossible to produce live shows there.

After a couple of difficult years the Society has found a new home at the local Thomas Clarkson Community College, and has the very talented Barbara Mews not only as producer, but as it's very able Chairman too.

The Society is now busy rehearsing for this year's panto ‘Sleeping Beauty' (28 December 2007 - 1 January 2008), and gearing up for it's Spring 2008 show ‘The Boyfriend' 27 - 31 May 2008), but there's a feeling of déjà vu, as more men are needed!!