by Liz Parry

Many people living in Boldmere may not know of the existence of the Highbury Theatre Centre, a membership theatre that is tucked away in Sheffield Road. However, it has been a part of the community since 1942 and has been putting on plays continuously since then.

The story of the theatre’s beginnings is a remarkable piece of social history, as it was built entirely by voluntary labour. It begins back in April 1924, when a group of people met to form The Erdington Independent Labour Party Play Reading Circle.

After a while, the Circle began to perform plays. Their first stage performance was on 5 March 1925. By 1928, they had a new name and a new director. The name was taken from the name of the house of one of the founder members, Bertie English, in Holifast Road, Erdington, and was The Highbury Players. The new director was John English, Bertie’s teenage son.

In 1932, the Players began performing at the Church House, Erdington. Here they put on an average of three plays a year. They were still quite a small company, so actors had to double up as scene painters, programme sellers, etc.

The Players began to think the only thing they were missing was a theatre of their own. In 1935, perhaps more in hope than expectation, they set up a building fund, which reached the dizzying height of £40, and began a search for premises.

Two years later, in 1937, some land came up for sale in Sheffield Road. The site was not an ideal one for a theatre. It was very narrow and it was in an out-of-the-way side street. But it was going cheap and was an opportunity not to be missed. The Players bought the plot, for just over £200.

Building the theatre could now commence. As the little money available had to be spent on materials, the Players had to do the work themselves in their spare time, during evenings and weekends. Expert advice was provided by a retired builder, Jack Billington.

The building work continued during the war and the Players also continued to put on plays, performing at venues across the local area. They finally opened the doors of Highbury Theatre on 22 May 1942, performing George Bernard Shaw’s Arms and the Man.

The Players and the theatre have continued to develop from that first play reading in 1924, through the opening of the theatre 18 years later, to the present day. The theatre has been able to expand a little. More recent developments included major refurbishment and development work in the 1980s and the 1990s.

Today, it puts on a number of productions throughout the year and its film club has frequent screenings. It is always happy to welcome new people to see its productions or to take a more active part in the running of the theatre. It is open throughout the year on Monday evenings from 7:30pm to 9:00pm and Wednesday mornings from 10:00am to 12 noon.

For more information, please see the Development of Highbury section of the Highbury Theatre website.