A History of The Histons Players

The Histons Players was formed in 1964 by a group of members of the Trinity Methodist Church in Codsall and has enjoyed a mutual association with Trinity Methodist Church ever since. The group has been regarded as an outreach activity of the Methodist church in Codsall, and the incumbent Minister has, by invitation, always held the office of honorary President. 

The early productions took place on the stage of the old Methodist Chapel hall situated at the junction of Chapel Lane and Broadway, but in 1967, to meet the needs of the Church and its organisations Trinity moved to the present premises in Histons Hill. The first piece of drama in the present Church was “The Vigil”, performed in 1968. This was later followed by another religious play in the Church, “The Old Man of the Mountains”, about the prophet Elijah. Other productions in the Church have included “Bernadette” and “A Christmas Carol”. Scaffolding for lighting, moveable sets and staging were required and of course all had to be removed before the Sunday services. A Church Celebration with music and drama was held in the late 1980s, and was the first joint event between the Church and drama society.  The Histons Players also led the morning service on Bible Sunday in 1994 as part of their 30th anniversary celebrations.  

Mostly, however, the Histons Players have performed on the stage in the Church’s Youth Centre and it is true to say that, other than on a few occasions, in the Church’s 38 years at Histons Hill the drama society has performed two play each year, in May and November. Some of the most ambitious productions have been the home-grown pantomimes, for example, “Alice in Wonderland” (1983) which, with music and a cast in excess of 40, also involved members of the Youth Theatre group from Codsall Parish Church. 

Whilst the Society has always been attached to the Church and indeed is grateful for the use of the excellent premises and facilities, membership is not restricted to churchgoers – indeed most of the present members are not Methodists. However, a substantial annual donation is given to Church funds and over the years the Society has helped with fundraising for refurbishments and provided items of equipment, which are used by the Church as well as the Society. 

Over the years the standard of acting, production, set-design and lighting has improved due to the commitment of members, the support of patrons and audiences. Grants from South Staffordshire District Council have helped to enhanced the lighting and sound equipment. Members of the wardrobe team made the present curtains. The old, somewhat rickety apron stage has now been replaced by state-of-the-art staging, with the financial help of the Lottery Fund. 

There is a two-way provision of resources between the Church and the Histons Players. Drama equipment and wardrobe props, etc. are available to others when needed. There are good working relationships with Codsall Dramatic Society, which the Players have fostered over the years, with interchange of actors and backstage hands when needed. The Histons Players regard themselves as an integral part of the Codsall community and were pleased to present “Good Wives” as a contribution to the 1998 Codsall Arts Festival. 

In 2007 we again were pleased to have been asked to perform in the Codsall community arts festival and in March 2008 four of our members took to the stage to perform "Murder Play", whilst other members of the society were busy rehearsing for our production of the female version of "The Odd Couple" due to be performed in May of the same year.

There has been a Patrons scheme for some time, which helps both with finances and building a good esprit de corps. Various social events have been organized such as skittles evenings at Brewood and visits to Stafford Castle to see open-air play productions. (Ludlow Castle has been similarly visited in the past, but the logistics of travel became a little complicated!) 

The Histons Players are always keen to welcome new members, and audiences have been introduced to several new actors in recent productions. This is evidence that the Histons Players is flourishing – and long may it continue to do so.