And the founding fathers and mothers of 'Belmont Players' are proudly looking down on you now. And here they are in 1947 above.
OUR HISTORY
1947-1959
Belmont Theatre Company (then known as Belmont Players), was founded in 1946 in Belmont, near Harrow in Middlesex and our first production was Charity Begins in 1947. The production was very well received in the community and thus the drama group was born. In the early days we produced one show a year and even then, creativity was at the centre of the productions we chose. We entertained audiences with a wide range of shows which included Ladies in Retirement, When we are Married and Summer in December.
The first show by Belmont Players was in 1947 with Henry's Six Wives for the Ealing Drama Festival
1960-1979
By now the group was well established in Harrow with a committed audience and a growing reputation. Our audiences demanded more productions and we obliged. In 1960 we produced three shows which were Fly Away Peter, Speaking of Murder and Doctor in the House. This was an immense challenge for the group and it was then the group’s philosophy of producing a season of three productions a year was created. This is still very much at the heart of what we do today
 During the 70's we presented a stand at the Harrow Arts Council exhibition in the Tithe Barn as part of the Harrow Show. Here the Mayor and Mayoress inspected a scale model of the Wykeham Hall stage made by Tony Hodson, with John Teather the then Chairman of the group.
To the left is Wilf Cutriss Chairman of Harrow Arts Council and on the right, long-serving stage manager, Nicky Carter. |
 The first Harrow Arts Centre opened in Harrow Weald in 1978, which became a home for Belmont Plays until the move to the bigger Arts Centre at Hatch End in 1988. |
1980-2000
This was a period of growth for the group. With our longstanding reputation, we had an ever- increasing membership and our productions, staged near Belmont Circle and latterly at the Harrow Arts Centre, Hatch End, were receiving great reviews from NODA (The National Operatic and Dramatic Association), the professional body to which most Amateur Theatre Groups belong). By now the group had a new challenge, attracting new and fresh talent. New marketing channels, such as web, internet and email began to create further opportunities to win audiences and gain members. We had to adapt and respond in order to remain one of the oldest and most well-established drama groups in the Harrow area.
At times the group has been more famous for its Jumble Sales than for some shows!
2001-Present
Since 2000, we have regularly won awards for shows and sets. However 2007 brought change to the Belmont Theatre Company when our base at Harrow Arts Centre was temporarily closed. We moved to The Pump House Theatre, in Watford and found this new venue so much to our and our liking that we decided to stay there, even when the Harrow Arts Centre eventually re-opened. As our reputation grew, the change not only gave us a new home but also allowed us to entertain more people in a larger auditorium. However the move did have a few setbacks as it meant we lost our storage space for props, costumes and theatrical sets, however, due to the generosity and hard work of our members, we were able to consolidated our storage into a basement which we converted to our needs at Belmont Circle, Harrow. This is known affectionately at ‘The B&B’ and brings us back to Belmont, our place of origin once again.
In October 2009, we performed the Tim Rice/Andrew Lloyd-Webber ‘lost’ musical ‘The Likes of Us’ to critical acclaim, being only the second amateur group in London to be permitted to do so.
In October 2009, we performed the Tim Rice/Andrew Lloyd-Webber ‘lost’ musical ‘The Likes of Us’ to critical acclaim, being only the second amateur group in London to be permitted to do so.
In July 2016 we celebrated our 70th Anniversary as a drama group, marking the occasion with a party for past and present members and patrons as well as a few loyal members of the audience at the Metropolitan Police Club, Bushey.
It is only through the hard work, talents and support of our dedicated members and patrons over the years that we have been able to achieve all this. It is always welcome when new people join us to continue the work of entertaining audiences whilst having fun and making lifelong friends.
It is only through the hard work, talents and support of our dedicated members and patrons over the years that we have been able to achieve all this. It is always welcome when new people join us to continue the work of entertaining audiences whilst having fun and making lifelong friends.
