"Let's try something new" has been the unofficial motto of the Maidenhead Drama Guild since it was formed by a group of local enthusiasts back in 1947. Its first ever production was Emlyn Williams' Night Must Fall which, although a classic now, was considered quite avant garde at the time!
Nearly sixty years later, MDG is still going strong and it still likes to break new ground. In that time the group has performed in a wide variety of venues, from studio theatres to the largest stages, from school halls to the gardens at Cliveden. It has presented productions ranging from the traditional to the experimental, from farce to tragedy, with spectacular scenery or none at all, plays with three to thirty in the cast, and by playwrights well-known and unknown.
There's been plenty of other activity too - touring children's plays and pantomimes around local schools, improvisation workshops, pioneering open-air Shakespeare at the National Trust Festival at Cliveden, editing and reading the talking newspaper for the blind, competing in drama festivals , entering the Rag Regatta, and taking part in the Maidenhead Carnival. Of course there are regular social events like meals and trips to the theatre.
The MDG is fortunate to have its own premises where it builds scenery and stores costumes and props. It can count among its members experts in stage design, production, costumes, lighting and sound - not to mention some of the best local acting talent!
Today, MDG has a packed annual season. Up to two plays each year are featured in the Norden Farm Arts Centre, the famous Maidenhead Pantomime is held at the Desborough Suite at Maidenhead Town Hall in December. In the spring the group enters the Maidenhead Drama Festival , and each July presents its own Open Air Shakespeare.
Modified - Thu 10 May, 2007