Comments for Belfrey Theatre - Wellington

Comment on Belfrey Arts Centre by login facebook

Nice post about Belfrey Arts Centre. I am very impressed with the time and effort you have put into writing this story. I will give you a link on my social media blog. All the best!

Comment on Belfrey Arts Centre by hydrogen generator

hydrogen generator — Thu, 19 May 2011 02:15:56 +0000

Searching for this for some time now – i guess luck is more advanced than search engines

Comment on Shropshire Drama Festival Success by Jack Cotton

Jack Cotton — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 09:53:05 +0000

Congratulations to all who picked up an award and well done to all groups who took part.

Comment on Wellington Drama Festival by Marianne

Marianne — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 09:21:58 +0000

Well Done Ellie Marianne

Comment on Wellington Drama Festival by Ellie Bibby

Ellie Bibby — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 14:29:28 +0000

hello, im Ellie Bibby from Drama stdio workshop. I am so happy that you nominaed me for best actress. I was so chuffed

hope to see you in the near future

Ellie Bibby xoxoxo

Comment on Join Us by adelia

adelia — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 19:01:58 +0000

hi my name is adelia and i am 13 and i would i like to drama out side of school and would like to know if i can start your group , if so can you tell me how much it is, what day and what time.

Comment on 70 Years of Past Productions by Alan Godfrey

Alan Godfrey — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 22:39:18 +0000

Have just come across your website, thinking back to the period 1969-71 when I acted in Wellington, playing Lysandser in ‘Midsummer Nights Dream’, Cecil Graham in ‘Lady Windermere’s Fan’, Ossip in ‘Government Inspector’ and Malvolio in ‘Twelfth Night’.

I was then one of the four (the others were John Rose, Dek Leverton and one whose name I forget) who first set up the Belfrey Players. We were an offshoot, rather than a breakaway, just wanting to perform more (we didn’t often get parts in the small cast plays). Incidentally, I was the one who organised the publicity flyer so am responsible for the spelling of Belfrey! The name was chosen at a meeting at John Rose’s house in Hookagate.

Several Wellington Theatre Club members then joined in to help convert the school into a theatre. For the first two productions the theatre was small as only one partition had been removed. The first production in the Belfrey Theatre was a double bill of ‘Come and Go’, by Samuel Becket, with ‘A Dead Liberty’ by Alan Gosling, directed by Dek Levrton. The club’s then chairman, Vernon Wiley, played a small part (so did I) showing that the venture had Wellington Theatre Club support. The second production was ‘The Circle’ which I directed (I recall Jane Stilwell as one of the cast, also that we were under-rehearsed!). These were followed by ‘I Am a Camera’ in which Penny Sambrook was very good, ‘What shall we tell Caroline’ and ‘Charley’s Aunt’ in which I played Lord Fancourt. All were played in the round.

The attempt to produce something like fortnightly rep was too much and I was quite ill with jaundice by the time I played ‘Charley’s Aunt’. We were all shattered. Several of us then went off to drama schools and I later worked for the Robert Cooper Theatre in Ironbridge. However, since 1980 I have been running my own publishing company in Co Durham (for which I got an MBE last year).

Incidentally until 2009 I hadn’t stepped on a stage for 30 years but have joined Durham Drama Society and have played several major parts, including the monster one of Gary in Noel Coward’s ‘Present Laughter’.

I hope this is of interest

Best wishes

Alan Godfrey