After a successful 60th Hertford Theatre Week in 2023 we are pleased to have repeated that success in 2024 at the Ayckbourn Theatre in the splendid setting of the Haileybury College campus, just three miles from Hertford town centre.
A little later in the year than last year we were worried if that would affect our audience numbers, but those fears were unfounded as we played to effectively full houses all week, so a big thank you to all that supported us.
As yet we are unsure of the venue or dates for Hertford Theatre Week 2025 so keep an eye on this website for the latest information.
If you want to be sure not to miss any updates why not click or tap the button on the right and join our email list to be kept up to date with this, and other, Hertford Dramatic & Operatic Society productions? It only takes a moment, we don't send hundreds of emails, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Steve Onyon
Chairman
The festival was instigated when a small committee from Hertford Dramatic & Operatic Society, investigating the possibilities of further stimulating amateur drama, invited neighbouring societies and drama groups to perform one of their own productions under festival conditions. With rules agreed and sufficient support promised to ensure a full week's programme of six different plays, 1962 saw the first Hertford Theatre Week.
Sponsorship of the first ten years was provided by the directors of the Hertfordshire Mercury and County Press, the publishers of our local newspaper and supporters of local drama. Since 1972 Hertford Dramatic & Operatic Society has not only been the hosts and organisers but also the main sponsors.
In recent years the festival has been completely self-financing and, unlike many full-length play festivals which draw sponsorship from their local authority or commercial organisations, our only revenue comes from the Box Office sales.
Hertford Theatre Week is run by a team of unpaid volunteers from HD&OS, some of whom give up a week of their annual holiday to work on the competition, and whose only reward is their love of theatre and the satisfaction of being involved in what has become recognised as one of the leading full-length drama competitions in the country.
Since 1986 the Hertford competition has been affiliated to the National Drama Festivals Association and we are proud to say that in a number of past years, Hertford Theatre Week provided the winner of the NDFA National Drama Festival (formerly the British All-Winners Drama Festival).
More information on the NDFA can be found at www.NDFA.co.uk
The programme for 2019 featured 6 productions:
Kindertransport by Diane Samuels, presented by Heath Players
Dinner by Moira Buffini, presented by Barn Theatre Club
Fresh Start by Heaton Wilson, presented by Origins Theatre
Six Dead Queens & An Inflatable Henry by Foursight Theatre, presented by The Company of Players
The Graduate by Buck Henry, Calder Willingham, Charles Webb and Terry Johnson, presented by White Cobra Productions
Fallen Angels by Noel Coward, presented by Global Theatre Company
Doors open at 7:15pm with curtain up at 7:45pm.
You can purchase tickets for individual performances or for the entire week.
Nightly tickets are £15 each, or Weekly tickets (for all six evenings) are superb value at £45 - only £7.50 per night if you see all six performances!!!
AVAILABLE FROM 1st MARCH 2019
Tickets may be purchased with cash, cheque, Maestro, Visa or MasterCard from the Box-Office, by telephone on 01992 531500, or online here.
For postal bookings please send a stamped addressed envelope with your cheque payable to EHDC to:
Hertford Theatre Week Bookings, The Box Office, Hertford Theatre, The Wash, Hertford SG14 1PS
The Box Office is open Monday to Saturday 10:00am to 5:00pm.
Hertford Theatre Week is an adjudicated Drama Competition and a qualifying festival for the National Drama Festivals Association All-Winners Festival.
In fairness to the competing teams latecomers will not normally be admitted to the auditorium until a suitable break in the performance.
Weekly Ticket holders are eligible to vote for the Audience Appreciation Award on the final evening.
The presentation of the awards will take place after the Saturday performance.
Please note, in extreme circumstances, the programme may be subject to change without notice.
Refunds can only be given if there is no performance.
If you would like receive information about Hertford Theatre Week and other Hertford Dramatic& Operatic Society forthcoming productions by email please click here to join our contact list.
Thank you.
WALKER EWART has been adjudicating at local and national levels in Ireland and Scotland for twenty-one years this year. Retired, he was formerly a French/Spanish teacher for 24 years before becoming Schools' Inspector. He was awarded the O.B.E. for 'services to education' in the 2013 New Year's honours list.
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