The History

Holybourne Theatre was opened by Sir Michael Redgrave on 6 May 1971. But its history goes back to the foundation of the Holybourne Dramatic club in January 1948, the month that British Rail was born. The first play on the present site was performed in November 1950 in the Nissen hut left over from the war.

The site was known as Complins and was occupied by a brewery before the war, in the days when Holybourne was separated from Alton by hop fields. The brewery closed and Complins housed German prisoners in Nissen huts during the war, at what was then called Fishers camp. One of the huts was converted by the Germans into a little theatre with raised stage and a sloping auditorium.

The club, founded by the local residents in January 1948 initially performed in Holybourne School. The school's Headmistress Mrs Smith and local organist Jack Small were two of the founder members. The club performed two plays at the school, 'Interference' and 'The Trial of Mary Dugan'. The Chairman and producer, Mr Nash then left the village and the club was left in a state of limbo.

The Club has had several heroes, the first was Fred Elliott. Fred, who is still a member, had recently moved into the area. He was introduced to the club by fellow wartime acquaintance Jack Small. Fred had such a dynamic personality and this was totally utilized when the opportunity of renting the nissen hut on the Fishers camp site for 5 shillings a week was offered to the Club in the spring of 1950.

The hut had been converted into a theatre by the German war prisioners. It had a raked seating area of 200 seats, a 12 foot square stage but few luxuries. The cast had to make-up and change in the wings. Nevertheless the buoyant membership with Fred Elliott at the helm took on the challenge and within six months they opened with a three night run of Priestley's 'Mystery at Greenfingers' The box office profit was £40.00, a considerable sum. Seven of the members loaned the club a total of £160.00 for seating, curtains, carpets and lighting. Within three years all had been repaid.

In 1952 the membership was over 100 strong; they were performing regularly and very active raising funds for the additional facilities that they were enjoying. At the sell off of the Fishers camp in June 1960, the site including the nissen hut was given to the Holybourne Dramatic Club.

During the salad days of Holybourne's own theatre, the productions ranged from classic comedies to dramas. Even Shakespeare was not beyond the reach of Holybourne with an excerpt from "A Midsummer Night's Dream" performed at one of the annual garden parties. For Holybourne Dramatic Club, the 1960s were dominated by the planning and building of the new theatre after it was resolved that because the old Nissen hut was in such a bad condition, there should be no further expenditure on repairs.

While the additional funding was being raised and the building was under construction, the club performed at the Alton Assembly Rooms and at venues in local villages in a 10 mile radius. After years of nomadic existence, the present theatre costing £8000.00 was opened by Sir Michael Redgrave on 6th May 1971 with a production of John Dole's "Cat on the Fiddle" and the invited audience was entertained to a buffet supper after the performance.

1971 was a vintage year with the thriller "Three Shots in the Dark" by Falkland Cary and Philip Weathers. The theatre was twice blessed by this play; Holybourne's production was pre-publication and the joint authors attended the first night, which was the first performance of the play on any stage.

Around this time, our next hero arrives, Miss Dawn Groves. Dawn was similar to Fred Elliott in many ways. She was very talented, coming from the professional stage; she also had drive, ambition, vision and managerial skill that enabled her to achieve 'professional' results from her colleagues, both on and off stage. She achieved in both acting and directing roles and will be forever remembered for starting and running the Youth Theatre for many years. For nearly thirty years, Dawn was Holybourne Theatre; and she is currently a Patron.

At the AGM in 1977, Holybourne Dramatic Club became Holybourne Theatre, mainly to emphasize that this was one of the very few amateur dramatic societies in the South of England to have it's own premises. Now with a thriving junior section for members under the age of 16, Holybourne Theatre marches on with a regular annual routine of spring and autumn plays and pantomime in the New Year.

The eighties bought success for the theatre with wins in the Alton Arts Festival in 1980, 1981, 1983 and 1987, with the best actress award being won by Dawn Groves in the 1982 Farnborough Arts Festival.

1999 heralded the 21st birthday of the Youth Theatre, who for so long have played an integral part in Holybourne Theatre. With their own productions and pantomimes, they play an important role in providing the future thespians that will walk the stage at Holybourne Theatre.

Since 1948, we have given enjoyment and pleasure to both members and audiences alike. We still have a very active Youth Theatre, currently managed by Diane and Chas Byrne and a thriving membership. We have changed our name to Holybourne Theatre and operate as a company limited by guarantee. The upbeat vibes of the membership seem to have almost outlasted the present theatre and the club is actively looking to replace this building with a suitable facility that will cater for the needs of future generations.

The original Nissen Hut: