Your feedback and questions

Thank you again for all of those who attended the open evening we held on 28th November 2025. We used this as an opportunity to ask the attendees some questions, and the feedback was really useful. As promised, we read and discussed all the comments and wanted to let you know our thoughts and responses to the points raised.

What you like

Overall, we were pleased to read that the attendees consider The Blewbury Players as welcoming, supportive, and inclusive. They love the creativity, high standards, and the chance to learn and grow together. Comments show that The Blewbury Players brings joy to the village and gives opportunities to new and seasoned performers and volunteers.

Rehearsal times and structure

There were some comments around rehearsal schedules and if a shorter period could be considered. We appreciate that volunteers and the cast give up their valuable spare to take part and we always try to work around commitments. The summer play generally requires weekend rehearsals to suit most people’s availability, including the Director, and the period we rehearse over is a requirement to achieve the standard that we are so well known for. Some of our other productions require less commitment and differ in rehearsal length and timings. This is something that always has careful consideration and we will continue to review and adapt if necessary.

Wet weather

Well, this is a tricky one! Orchard Dene is our beautiful, unique, outdoor amphitheatre and part of our heritage. It is a huge part of the magic that is The Blewbury Players summer productions, but this does come with the risk of wet weather… sometimes a lot of it! We have discussed and explored covers, but not only would this be very expensive, it would raise planning and other issues including lighting and drumming rain drowning out the actors. We have rehearsal contingencies and a robust procedure for the performances, but one thing we have taken away is the need to be clear from the start of each production that there is a chance of performing in some rain and as long as the audience wants to come, we will entertain them while conditions remain safe.

Young people

It is clear that lots of people are keen for us to engage and do more with young people, including with Blewbury School. We love to include children in suitable productions, and we encourage young people to get involved so we can nurture, support and educate. We have some amazing volunteers who are keen to inspire the next generation, so watch this space.

Workshops

It is clear that attendees would like to see some workshops in-between productions to get together and learn new skills. This is something we are considering, but based on our current resources and packed programme of events in 2026, it's not likely to happen this year. We have noted the areas you would enjoy a workshop on and will consider these in the future.

However we would like to draw your attention to HAMS who are a drama group in our neighbouring village of Hagbourne. They have set up a series of workshops on Thursday evenings at Hagbourne Village Hall. You can find out more information by visiting this Facebook link...  (4) Facebook 

 Marketing and promotion

It is lovely that you want to hear more from us, especially online. There has been a large effort to increase our presence, which we will continue. We are also increasing our pool of volunteers in this area, to tap into more knowledge and skills to support our content creation. 

Productions

There was a large array of suggestions for genres and types of productions for us to consider in the future. We need to plan 18 – 24 months in advance so it has given us some food for thought for the years ahead. We also need the full buy-in of the directors which is another key to a successful production. The trustees try to make decisions based on directors’ suggestions/proposals, feedback from the audience and the production team along with a balance in our forthcoming programme. We do like to attempt the impossible task of pleasing everybody.