The Beginnings

Great Britain in 1947 was economically stricken, reduced almost to bankruptcy by the cost of the Second World War. Britain would no longer control the world stage, seemingly content to remain an impoverished second rate power while the Americans assumed leadership of the 'free world'.

The Cold War was in its infancy. The Labour Government of Clement Atlee was elected in a landslide victory in 1945 and had started on its policy of nationalisation with some vigour. Starting with the Bank of England and the Post Office in 1946, the Government's nationalisation programme incorporated the electricity, gas and coal industries in 1947, the railways in 1948 and the iron and steel industries in 1951. Atlee's government was also responsible for the creation of the Welfare State, with the introduction of National Insurance in 1946 and the National Health Service two years later. Harold Wilson, later Prime Minister between 1964-70 and 1974-76, became the youngest ever cabinet minister, joining the cabinet in 1947 as President of the Board of Trade at the age of 31.

Nineteen forty-seven began with one of the harshest winters on record, with temperatures as low as -16oF at the end of January. Fifteen towns were cut off by deep snow in March and severe flooding later in the month caused the death of two million sheep. The railway line between Macclesfield and Marple was blocked with snow for several weeks. Coal shortages and a road haulage workers strike resulted in the shutting down of several power stations, and rationing of essentials such as meat, cheese, eggs and milk would remain in force with wartime restrictions. The bacon ration would be cut to one ounce per person per week in October, and potatoes would be restricted to three pounds the following month.

Fuel cuts in Autumn 1947 meant that the Midlands received no electricity for one day a week. Milk was restricted to two and a half pints per person per week and, by June 1948, the fuel shortage meant that car travel was set at a maximum of ninety miles per month.

The inevitable slide in sterling resulted in the devaluation of the currency in 1948.

The school leaving age was increased to fifteen in April 1947, and this was complemented by the introduction of the General Certificate of Education (GCE) in April 1948 and the comprehensive school system at the end of 1948.

Harlow, the first of the 'new towns' was inaugurated in 1947. Britain's first atomic reactor opened at Harwell in August of the same year. Two serious rail crashes at Croydon and Berwick-upon-Tweed in October 1947 resulted in the deaths of 52 people and, the same month, the first Morris Minor rolled off the production line at Cowley.

George VI was in the 11th year of his reign. Princess Elizabeth, the King's eldest daughter and heir to the throne, married Prince Philip of Greece in November 1947 and gave birth to their first child, Prince Charles a year later.

The young Prince's grandfather presided over an empire of 800 million subjects. Burma gained its independence in January 1948, closely followed by Ceylon (Sri Lanka) in February. India's independence in August 1948 followed soon after the assassination of Mahatma Ghandi who had done so much to secure it. Britain's withdrawal from Palestine, a protectorate since 1918, was completed by May 1948.

The Olympic games recommenced in 1948, with Winter games in St. Moritz and Summer games in London.

The big West End hits of the time were Annie Get Your Gun and Oklahoma! The first Edinburgh Festival was held in August 1947 and the most popular song of the time was Maybe It's Because I'm A Londoner.

The leader of the opposition, Winston Churchill, would return to power in 1951 after significantly reducing the Labour majority in the 1950 election.

It was against this background of social uncertainty and enforced adversity that a Macclesfield butcher and amateur Thespian entertained eight friends in October 1947 to form a new amateur dramatics company .

MADS Forerunners, The Central Players

The history of MADS starts with the formation of another amateur dramatic society in Macclesfield. The Central School Players was founded in 1928 and lasted for more than thirty years despite never having a permanent base. The prime force behind the CS Players was John Fytton, who helped form the group and produced most of their plays. When Mr Fytton was sent overseas for five years during World War II, the reins were taken up by Alfred Wilson . During this period, a Macclesfield butcher made his first appearance in a full length play. Nothing But the Truth by James Montgomery was the CS Players' last production of the 1942/43 season and the role of Van Dusen was taken by one Frank Snelson, a veteran of the stage who first trod the boards in Macclesfield in 1926.

Frank Snelson would ultimately become a founder member and the first chairman of MADS in 1947. In the five-year interim, he appeared in fourteen plays in succession with the CS Players. Mr Snelson came originally from the village of Lower Withington, a few miles to the west of Macclesfield. A butcher by trade, he served his time at a butcher's in Prestbury, then worked for Dobson & Thornhill in Mill Street before getting married and buying his own butcher's shop on Park Lane . He and his wife Alice lived 'over the shop' for several years and their first daughter was born their just before the war. Towards the end of the War he bought a house in Hobson Street, a few hundred yards from his business

Appearances suggest that the CS Players were a very small company. Even allowing for casting difficulties in wartime, only twenty-eight people regularly appeared with the company (on stage and off) between April 1943 and October 1947 .

Membership of the Central School Players had close connection with Christ Church in central Macclesfield and this, coupled with the demands of war-time audiences, had an inevitable influence on the plays produced by them and, ultimately, MADS.

The MADS archive show the following productions by the CS Players between April 1943 and the foundation of MADS in October 1947:

• Nothing But The Truth by James Montgomery. Produced by Alfred Wilson, April 1943, Newtown Sunday School
• The Blue Goose by Peter Blackmore. Produced by Alfred Wilson, October 1943, Newtown Methodist School
• Jack O'Diamonds. Produced by Alfred Wilson, January 1944, Newtown Methodist School
• Murder At The Ministry by Falkland Carey & AA Thompson. Produced by Alfred Wilson, May 1944, Central School, Byrons Street
• Rookery Nook by Ben Travers. Produced by Alfred Wilson, October 1944, Macclesfield Repertory Theatre
• The Two Mrs Camerons by Winifred and Edith Carter. Produced by Alfred Wilson, January 1945, Townley Street Sunday School
• Without The Prince by Philip King. Produced by Alfred Wilson, May 1945, Macclesfield Town Hall
• Tons Of Money by Will Evans and Valentine. Produced by Alfred Wilson, October 1945, Brocklehurst Memorial Hall and Capesthorne Hall
• The Bishop Misbehaves by Frederick Jackson. Produced by Alfred Wilson, January 1946, Brocklehurst Memorial Hall
• Marry The Girl by George Arthurs and Arthur Miller. Produced by John Fytton, April 1946, Brocklehurst Memorial Hall
• Murder Out Of Tune by Falkland Carey. Produced by Alfred Wilson, September 1946, Brocklehurst Memorial Hall and November 1946, Altrincham Garrick
• The Camel's Back by Arnold Helsby. Produced by John Fytton, January 1947, Brocklehurst Memorial Hall
• I Killed The Count by Alec Coppel. Produced by John Fytton, April 1947, Brocklehurst Memorial Hall
• The Young Mrs Barrington by William Chetham Strode. Produced by John Fytton, September 1947, Brocklehurst Memorial Hall

Of the nine members who subsequently formed MADS, Alice Avery Florence Hanson, Frank Snelson, Alfred Wilson and Sara Wilson were in situ in April 1943. Fred Pierpoint's first credit appears in The Blue Goose in October 1943, Norman Johnson is first noted in Jack O'Diamonds in January 1944, and Joan Leigh's first appearance was in Rookery Nook in October 1944. The last piece of the jigsaw was put in place with the arrival of Tom Bancroft for The Bishop Misbehaves in January 1946.

The productions of the Central School Players received good notices in the local press and were generally well attended.

The Sacred Flame

The first play of the 1950's was The Sacred Flame by W Somerset Maugham. It was produced by Doug Broadbent, his first of three for MADS. The decision to perform this play was perhaps influenced by the Congleton Players' production in December 1949.

The Sacred Flame was MADS' first serious play, concerning the controversial subject of euthanasia. Perhaps the post-war outlook had eased enough to allow drama to enter into amateur dramatics.

On Monday Next

MADS ambition, from its earliest days, was to be able to perform in a theatre of its own. This is quite clear from the chairman's message to patrons of On Monday Next, performed in February 1951:

On Monday Next is a story of the theatre which, for maximum effect, should be told in the theatre, and we must ask you to conjure up in your imagination ... the red plush, the gilded cherubs, and that indefinable atmosphere which permeates the Temple Of Thespis. Perhaps, by the time we offer you another story of the stage, we shall not need to impose this task upon your imagination, and the red plush will be there in reality - but it's up to you! There will not be a theatre in Macclesfield until Macclesfield is prepared to do something about it.

MADS would, eventually, own their own theatre, but it would be more than thirty years before the Little Theatre would be regarded as a fully functional theatrical venue.

Macclesfield Corporation provided a £150 interest-free loan in 1950 to enable purchase of essential equipment. This appears to have been the first time that the Corporation had shown confidence in a company that operates 'under a title associated with Macclesfield.' This loan was paid back over the next five years.

John Hedley Palin's First Production

This Was A Woman by Jean Anouilh, MADS first play of the 1951/52 season, was produced by John H Palin, perhaps the single biggest influence on MADS activities during its first fifty years. Hedley, as he was known, had joined in 1949 and taken a few acting roles. After playing with a concert party associated with St. George's Street Baptist Church, Hedley became a founder member of the Macclesfield Thespians who performed at the Ebenezer Chapel in Hurdsfield Road, and later, during wartime, he took many parts in the productions of the Macclesfield Repertory Company . He was never wholly confident on stage, and contemporary reviews reinforce this. The Courier report of Pink String and Sealing Wax (1949) says that:

John H. Palin would do well to emulate the example of the principals and put more power into his voice which, on occasion, could hardly be heard at the rear of the hall.

His performance as Algernon in The Importance of Being Earnest (1952) would result in a similar review in the Macclesfield Advertiser, 'He was not always audible at the back of the hall.'

Hedley's dedication to both musical and dramatic theatre was considerable. It was as a courageous and enterprising producer, starting with This Was a Woman, that he truly made his mark. He was responsible for the production of over sixty plays for MADS between 1951 and 1990, and over twenty for the Macclesfield Majestic Theatre Group from 1971 (for whom he also acted as chairman) and the annual pantomime of the Jean Patterson School of Dancing. He also produced for Buxton Opera Group, Bollington Festival Players, Stockport Garrick, Altrincham Garrick and the de Novo Productions at Capesthorne Hall and was a member of the Steering Committee of the then newly-formed Royal Exchange Theatre Company in 1976.

Festival Success in the Forties and Fifties

MADS produced eleven one-act plays in its first eight years, mostly for festivals. The first of these, Low Bridge, was performed at Blackpool in 1948 and revived in March 1950 for the eighth Buxton Drama Festival of One-Act Plays, defending the title they had won the previous year. Although the play was placed only fourth, there was sufficient demand for this, and its predecessor Holiday Eve, to be performed in Macclesfield. The way this was done was most unusual. Holiday Eve and Low Bridge were performed with a third one-act play, The Ugly Duckling by AA Milne, as a joint production for five nights in the usual May production slot. Low Bridge was performed first, then The Ugly Duckling and, finally, Holiday Eve. Each play was produced by J Kenneth Wetton who successfully overcame the problem of three plays, three sets and three groups of actors. Douglas Broadbent, acting in the first and last of these plays, received particularly good notices. Frank Snelson and Alice Avery also acted in both Low Bridge and Holiday Eve.

Despite the success of this venture, it has never been repeated.

Sunday Costs Five Pesos by Josephina Niggli was entered by MADS in the drama section of the 1951 Macclesfield Music Festival. The Calf Before The Hearse, Ophelia and The Proposal were presented in subsequent years. The Calf Before The Hearse by Yves Cabrol would win the Ryles Trophy in 1953 competing against three other plays. Ophelia won the Macclesfield One-Act Festival in 1954 after MADS had lost by a single point to CHADS on the previous two occasions. The Proposal won the Ryles Trophy against six other groups, including the Central School Players, at the Macclesfield Musical Festival in 1958.

MADS also performed several full length plays at Buxton Playhouse for the annual Full Length Play Competition. The first of these was When We Are Married in November 1949, which took second place and the silver trophy. This was followed in subsequent years by The Paragon, Two Dozen Red Roses, The Firstborn and Antigone.

Two Dozen Red Roses was awarded third place against six other societies in 1951 and Kenneth Wetton won the trophy for the best individual performance. The adjudicator also noted that MADS 'had the best set of the week and the lighting was excellent.' Both The Firstborn in 1954/55 (produced by Hedley Palin) and Antigone in 1955/56 (produced by Peter Mann) would win the trophy outright.

John Hedley Palin's productions of The Bear by Anton Chekhov was presented at the Buxton one-act festival in 1953 and provided Peter Mann with an award for best individual actor. Yves Cabrol's The Fish was presented at the Buxton the following season and was runner-up by one point to Hyde Light Opera Company. Hedley went one better in 1955 when his production of The Sound of Stillness won the one-act festival, completing a remarkable double for both MADS and Hedley by winning the full length and one-act festivals in the same season.

The regency comedy Ladder for Lucy was also produced, without success, in the 1954/55 season. Festival entries ceased for several years due to the loss of several experienced players at the end of the 1950's.

The Importance of Being Earnest, Love's a Luxury, Jacob's Ladder and Arsenic and Old Lace

The Importance of Being Earnest is one of the most famous plays of all time and an undoubted crowd-puller. MADS first performed the play in the 1951/52 season, the first of three productions of the play.

A contemporary press review perhaps surprisingly noted that the play:

has to a great extent lost it appeal. Much of its wit, once thought devastating, has been blunted by time into facetiousness. The social upheaval of the last twenty years has largely robbed Wilde's satire of its target.

Love's A Luxury was Frank Snelson's first production for the society and he would continue to produce, fifteen full length plays in all, throughout the fifties and sixties and into the early seventies. Another farce, it was, according to the Macclesfield Times & Courier 'one of the best all round productions staged by the Society.'

Jacob's Ladder is a serious play detailing the last months in the life of a poet. The acting in this difficult production was highly praised, particularly the performances of Frank Snelson ('never out of character', Macclesfield Advertiser) and Kenneth Wetton ('a convincing performance', Macclesfield Times & Courier). MADS produced the play at the Brocklehurst Memorial Hall in January 1953 and was invited by the Playhouse Theatre, Buxton, to revive it for two nights shortly afterwards . If anything, the review by the local Buxton paper was even more enthusiastic, despite the half-filled theatre.

This was a real treat rarely provided by the amateur stage - a performance that often reached the standard of professional entertainment.

Joseph Kesselring's Arsenic And Old Lace is another popular comedy-thriller and it is perhaps surprising that MADS has only performed it once, in September 1953. Despite criticism that the play derives much of its humour from mental disorder, the play received considerable complimentary press reviews.

Colin Read Becomes Chairman

MADS founding chairman, Frank Snelson had, by mid-1953, been chairman for five seasons out of six. Kenneth Wetton had taken over for the 1951/52 season and Frank Snelson's return was evidently only temporary. Doug Broadbent was elected as chairman at the 1953 AGM but would hold the post for only a matter of months. He was replaced by Colin Read before the end of 1953. Colin would hold the post for the next twenty years.

Colin Read was an accomplished and versatile character actor and had first appeared with MADS as The Rev. Canon Chasuble in The Importance of Being Earnest in April 1952 (a part he would repeat in February 1975). He would continue to perform regularly until the late seventies, including the role of the Ghost of Marley in the December 1979 production of A Christmas Carol. Originally from Dorset, moving to Macclesfield in 1950, he was also an opera lover who regularly appeared with operatic societies.

Joan Chappell (later Joan Wright) also became secretary at this time, initially as a temporary measure, and would hold the post until 1975. She was subsequently made a life member in recognition of her long-standing commitment to the society.

The Bridge Inn

Colin Read actively searched for a suitable permanent home for MADS - one with space for both rehearsal rooms and workshops and an auditorium for performances.

During the early part of the 1950's, MADS was based in the Bridge Inn, Brook Street. The attraction of this building was that it had a Victorian Music Hall on the upper floor. Plays were rehearsed here, with the ultimate ambition of converting the room into a functional theatre.

This excerpt from the newsletter of September 1953 is most interesting:

We received another setback when we learnt from the owners of our new HQ in Brook Street that they were unable to foster our scheme for its conversion into a Little Theatre, nor would they allow us the exclusive right to use the room for rehearsals. However, we shall still continue to rehearse at Brook Street every Tuesday and Thursday, and scenery preparation is also going ahead there on the same evenings.

The Bridge Inn closed in 1957, although the building still stands, close to the junction with Sunderland Street.

MADS Finds a Home

A more suitable location was ultimately found in Lord Street in the shape of Lord Street Sunday School. This was first reported at the beginning of 1954 with a feature in a local newspaper, written by Colin Read, expressing the Society's intent to have a Little Theatre of its own. The rental of Lord Street School was seen as the first step. This, combined with the intention to produce a higher calibre of plays than the usual run-of-the-mill box office successes, is undoubtedly the reason why MADS has survived for so long. Ambition is one attribute that MADS members have never been short of, and a company with a history of only seven years and just thirty members to be actively fund-raising for their own theatre can certainly be described as ambitious.

The history of Lord Street Sunday School, now MADS own Little Theatre, of course, begins in 1797 when some of Macclesfield's Wesleyan worshippers formed the Methodist New Connexion Society after a 'difference of opinion regarding the position and rights of the laity in Church organisation .' The Society worshipped at Parsonage Street Chapel and, from 1836, at the larger Park Street Chapel, now a print works . A Sunday School had been set up in the vestry of Parsonage Street Chapel in 1820, and grew so rapidly that a larger building was acquired in Lord Street in 1822. The School was replaced by the current, larger building in 1869. The foundation stone was laid by James Jackson, superintendent of the school since 1821 and was built by Messrs. Burrows Moseley at a cost of £2,250. An inscription above the main door of the Little Theatre still reads 'Methodist New Connexion', and above the stage door 'Lord Street Sunday School, Est. 1822.'

For a period of its history Lord Street Sunday School was a day school: Thomas Avery, secretary for the second season, was a pupil there . The building was later used as a billet for British and American troops during the Second World War and later became a temporary library while work was carried out at Macclesfield Library on Park Green . At other times the building was used for public meetings, as a dancing school and as a labour exchange.

The building was still in the hands of the Trustees of Lord Street Sunday School when MADS agreed to rent the lower floor as a rehearsal room and workshop. Theatrical productions would take place in the chapel on the first floor; the pulpit and lectern would need to be removed from the dais before the set could be erected. The set was built in the workshop and then carried in pieces up the stone staircase to the chapel. The process was done in reverse at the end of the run.

The first play at Lord Street was Dear Evelyn performed between 8 and 12 February 1954. A 'psychological drama', the critic from the Macclesfield Times & Courier noted that it was 'a play which should have popular appeal, even though the audience may be divided in their opinions as to the merits of the play.'

Colin Read noted with pride:

After many years, with our workshop, our rehearsal room and the stage for the final production set in different parts of the town, we have now gathered all our activities under one roof.

The Firstborn

The Firstborn by Christopher Fry was the most adventurous and complex play tackled by MADS so far. It was the first play deliberately chosen to demand the best from the actors and audience. The choice was both bold and ambitious. The play is set in Egypt in 1200 BC and is based on the struggle of Moses to release the Israelites from their bondage in Egypt. It is spoken entirely in blank verse. The music was composed for the production and performed live, and the costumes, designed by Hedley Palin, were specially made. The play was, perhaps surprisingly, a huge success. 'A triumph' ran The Macclesfield Advertiser. 'A new peak of perfection' blared The Macclesfield Times.

The Firstborn was revived in November 1954, both to meet the demand from Macclesfield audiences and to prepare for the Buxton Festival. A full week's run at Lord Street, 18 to 24 May 1954 was followed by the Buxton appearance the following week. The production won the drama section of the festival, the first time that a Macclesfield company had done this. But even this success was not without misadventure as Laurie Ward, playing Rameses, dropped out of the production with a week's notice. His part was taken by 16-year old Ron Williams, promoted from the role of a guard. The adjudicator noted that 'he played with Frank Snelson, however, 'was not, one felt, at ease in the poetic medium.'

Until 1954/55, MADS had been producing three full length plays each season. It was decided to increase this to four, but the revival of The Firstborn meant that, for the first time, MADS produced five full-length plays in one season. The 1954/55 season set a record because two one-act plays, The Sound of Stillness and Ladder for Lucy were also produced, along with Ophelia, an entry in the Macclesfield Festival in October 1954. This extra activity enabled a loss of £74 7s 8d in 1953/54 to be turned into a profit of £76 9s 4d in 1954/55 . Eight productions in one season would not be repeated until 1991/92, but four main plays a season would become the norm for the next thirty years.

The Firstborn was revived for the second time for a most unusual production. On 11 January 1958, it was performed in front of four hundred people at Macclesfield Parish Church. Again it was a great success despite the poor acoustics in the large building. In the tradition of the miracle plays, the actors chose to remain anonymous, although it is documented in the MADS archive and in press reports that Colin Read had to seek permission from the Royal Signals for Ron Williams, completing his national service, to repeat his performance of Rameses. The final line of one review will perhaps raise a smile, '[MADS] proved that such plays will attract large congregations in spite of television .' This single performance generated a considerable amount of favourable publicity for the Society, and the balance sheet shows, after payment to the verger, organist and church electricity, that the production made a healthy profit of £9 17s 7d.

Mishaps Backstage

Preserved in the MADS archive is a stage managers' log book detailing the running times of all performances between the dress rehearsal of The Firstborn in May 1954 and the last night of The Perfect Woman in September 1957. Stage managers were also encouraged to make comments on the performances as they progressed. A few highlights:

Will Any Gentleman?, Antigone and The Burning Glass

Sandwiched between the two runs of The Firstborn was Vernon Sylvaine's Will Any Gentleman? It was produced by Iris Diamond, MADS first female producer and the only woman to produce for MADS in its first twenty-four years.

The programme for Will Any Gentlemen? also marked the first time that the entire play season was announced in advance. Previously, notification of forthcoming productions was only available in the press.

In keeping with ending the season with a challenging 'modern' play, the last production of 1954/55 was Antigone by Jean Anouilh, a modern treatment of a classical Greek parable. The play was described by the Macclesfield Advertiser as 'an explanatory lecture on tragedy as a stage form' and 'hardly Macclesfield's idea of a pleasant evening out .' The Macclesfield Times noted that 'it is only lovers of the true art of acting that would attempt a play like this .' Despite this, or perhaps because of it, both newspapers praised the production, especially Joan Sheldon who rose from her sickbed each night to perform her part. Antigone would go on to win the Buxton Drama Festival, retaining the trophy won the previous year by The Firstborn.

Each performance of Antigone was preceded by the twenty-five minute Ladder For Lucy, one of two one-act plays then being produced by MADS. The mixture of regency comedy and classical tragedy was not deemed successful and this experiment has never been repeated. That Peter Mann produced both plays was perhaps the key to the decision to use a curtain-raiser. Ladder For Lucy was performed again for one night as a double-header with the other current (and more successful) one-act, The Sound Of Stillness, the week after Antigone. This was principally to allow Macclesfield audiences to see MADS winning entry in the Buxton One-Act Festival, but was also a fund-raising vehicle for the Bollington and Macclesfield Clinic for Spastic Children.

The second play of 1955/56 was Charles Morgan's The Burning Glass. This marked the first appearance of one of MADS most enduring actresses, Jane Davenport, transferring from the still-active Central School Players. Her role in The Burning Glass was small, but it was the first of over fifty appearances. Joining at the same time, but not taking an actor's audition as she has never appeared on stage, was Anne Fellows. Both Jane Davenport and Anne Fellows later married MADS members John Keylock and Ron Williams and are still active members over forty years later.

A Little Theatre?

Macclesfield once had six cinemas. One of these, the Super Cinema on Buxton Road, closed in 1956 after forty-four years' operation. Colin Read made approaches to the owners (Majestic Theatre Ltd) suggesting that the building could be sold or leased to MADS. Information is sketchy, but evidently there was some possibility in this, with Corporation involvement, as when the building was finally sold in 1959 there was dismay at the sale. Fuller details are not available, but Hedley Palin, at least, felt that the Society had been misled by the Corporation. Hopes of a Little Theatre diminished.

Another possibility, pursued the following year, was the purchase of a prefabricated theatre which would require support from the Council for both funding and a site. This, too, was a blind alley.

Tenth Season and the End of the 1950's

MADS tenth season opened, as usual, with a comedy. Reluctant Heroes by Colin Morris was described by the Macclesfield Times & Courier as 'farce with a capital F' and, by the Macclesfield Advertiser, as 'not the kind of play with which drama festivals are won.' The main roles were taken by Peter Mann, Frank Snelson, Ron Williams, Colin Read, Joan Sheldon and Ken Wetton - names by then familiar to Macclesfield theatre-goers.

The description of 'saucy French farce' for Don't Listen Ladies!, performed 26 February to 2 March 1957, hides a demanding play. Peter Mann, in a role with 1,200 lines, took honours again as a bigamist antique dealer, 'a personal triumph ', 'he gave a performance of which any actor could be proud .' Jane Davenport was noted to be 'an accomplished comedienne' giving an 'exquisite performance' and 'the most interesting performance of the evening' while the broader humour was provided by Ken Wetton and Doug Broadbent. The play was produced by John Hedley Palin and had 'the polish and high standards usually expected from the Society.'

The Macclesfield Advertiser, keen to burn the flame of amateur theatre in Macclesfield during the 1957 closed season, published a series of profiles of leading local actors. It is perhaps a measure of MADS success that, of all the companies in Macclesfield, they were given five of the eight profiles. Short articles about Colin Read, Peter Mann, Hedley Palin, Kenneth Wetton and Muriel Cohen proved to be excellent publicity for MADS.

Continuing the trend of closing the season with a difficult play, the last production of 1957/58 was Peter Ustinov's Romanoff and Juliet. This, according to the Macclesfield Times:

was not up to their usual standard. The fact that they had to postpone for one day the opening performance was not the best of advertisements ... as a team they rarely achieved that coelescence [sic] which is the hallmark of a first class production.

The Macclesfield Advertiser noted that the play 'bore the mark of under rehearsal. At times it lacked tempo and there were too many prompts.' This was perhaps due to Peter Mann doubling up as both producer and leading man. It would be his last production for MADS, his temporary relinquishment of director's duties would prove to be permanent.

The second play of 1958/59 was an adaptation of Richard Gordon's successful novel Doctor in the House. It was the first of three Doctor... plays that MADS has performed, the others being Doctor at Sea (1966) and Doctor in Love (1975). While providing a positive review, the Macclesfield Advertiser was led to comment:

what a long way this splendid society has fallen from the halcyon days of three or four years ago ... we are not used to comedy at MADS without Snelson and Wetton.

Frank Snelson was cast in the play, but disaster struck a week before opening night when he had to retire due to ill health. His place was taken by Peter Mann who 'brought tremendous zest to his part ... without him the play might so easily have been a flop.'

The Society's Christmas party of 1958 raised £50. Frank Snelson proposed that this money should be set aside to establish a Little Theatre Fund and this was unanimously agreed by the Management Committee. Further to this agreement, the money was used to invest in Macclesfield Corporation stock . Most ardent of the workers towards this goal was MADS secretary Joan Chappell, who, with her sister Lorraine, was tireless in her support and fund raising activities to raise money for the Little Theatre Fund.

Time Remembered, the February 1959 production and the third play by Jean Anouilh to be performed by MADS in a little over four years, received a gushing review from the Macclesfield Advertiser.

If we say that this is as fine as anything of his [Hedley Palin's] that we have seen for many a season, that his delicate and sure handling of a large cast, and his exquisitely designed and lit sets gave off, like a vapour, those intangible qualities and essences of poetry which permeated every scene and under one spell, then he has only had his due.

The Macclesfield Express were equally flowery and aesthete, 'The play is a piece of thistledown floating here and there .'

Time Remembered marked the last appearance of Peter Mann for several years. After directing and performing in many plays for over ten years, firmly establishing himself as MADS premier leading man during this period, he would be absent until The Circle in November 1965. His last appearance was in The Lark in 1966.

Four actors who joined MADS in the mid-to-late fifties would go on to become prolific producers. Bob Roberts, MADS first new producer for five years replacing Peter Mann on the Producer's Panel, produced six main season plays - from Spider's Web in 1959 to Doctor at Sea in 1966. Originally a member of Parkside Players, Bob joined MADS in 1957 taking leading roles in many plays, notably Doctor in the House and The Rainmaker.

Philip Corke would produce nine main season plays - from The Amorous Prawn in 1964 to The Cat and the Canary in 1973. He would also jointly produce Trap for a Lonely Man with Bob Roberts in 1965. David Avery told the author, 'Pat, my wife, worked with Phil Corke at Burdins in Mill Street. On a Whit Monday night in May 1954 I travelled with him to London when I was returning to my RAF camp in Hampshire. He was going to an audition for the Black and White Minstrel Show. What was George Mitchell's loss was MADS gain!'

Also joining at the same time, making her début in Doctor in the House, was Barbara Williamson who appeared in many plays throughout the 1960's and 1970's. Better known now as Barbara Northwood (marrying MADS member Geoff Northwood in 1967), she performed in many plays throughout the 1960's and 1970's, received co-producer credit with Frank Snelson for The Little Hut in 1970, then directed a further eight main season plays between 1971 and 1980. She returned to direct two further plays in 1993 and take occasional major roles in main season productions, including that of Gertrude in Hamlet. 

John Hadfield would prove to be a major influence on MADS history. He joined in 1954 from the Central School Players and first appeared with MADS as a footman in a 1959 production. Frank Snelson stood down from his role as the Sheriff in The Rainmaker to give John his first speaking role. Restricting his first twenty years in MADS to acting, he would spend a total of eleven years as chairman (1973-1979, 1981-1986). John has produced many main season plays since Stringer's Last Stand in 1976 and was the driving force behind the theatre's redevelopment in the early 1980's. He continues to direct and act regularly, was secretary at the end of the 1990s, and has been involved with over fifty productions.

Refurbishment of the Lord Street premises took place during the 1959 closed season, with the Trustees paying for the materials and MADS providing the labour.

Pygmalion was the last play of the nineteen-fifties. Colin Read and Frank Snelson were ideal for the roles of Professor Higgins ('an excellent performance') and Alfred Doolittle ('a role and material which suit him down to the ground'). The role of Eliza was taken by Muriel Barber who contributed 'a delicious piece of acting .' Hedley Palin was now building a reputation that would bring in theatre-goers on the strength of his name alone. Despite the occasional under-par production, MADS was by now being described as 'the town's foremost society.'

Passion and Proficiency

The penultimate production of the 1959/60 season was John Hedley Palin's production of Caesar's Friend, MADS first Passion Play. An unlucky production requiring an unusually large cast and an extension to the Sunday School stage, the indisposition of Geoff Buckley as Annas on the opening night required Bob Roberts to double up and play two roles. The Macclesfield County Express suggested that 'a series of mishaps showed that the play was painfully under-rehearsed .' Amusingly, the Macclesfield Advertiser spotted Frank Snelson in the crowd scenes 'disguised as an Arab or a Jew or something in a bathrobe with a towel round his head.' Again, Ron Williams proved himself to be a capable interpreter of difficult material and, with Jane Davenport, received the only complimentary reviews. The Manchester Evening News went so far to suggest that it was the performances of these two players that 'had the polish required to lift this religious play out of the rut of the semi-dramatic performances given by church societies every Christmas.' Like The Firstborn before it, Caesar's Friend was later performed in the parish church.

House By The Lake, the last play of 1959/60, marked the return of Kenneth Wetton, his first appearance for some time, and the début of Win Hall as a breezy district nurse. Win Hall remains one of MADS most accomplished character actors playing parts such Maggie in Hobson's Choice (1965), Daisy in Spring and Port Wine (1971), Mrs. Fairfax in Jane Eyre (in both 1974 and 1994) and Miss Prism in The Importance of Being Earnest (1995) to perfection.

An annual dance was inaugurated in 1960, held at the Town Hall, complete with Bob Tinning's Band. This event was repeated for several years. A Christmas Party has been a regular social event, moving from the BWA Pavilion to the Beehive Restaurant, Sunderland Street, the Redway Tavern, Kerridge and Chesters Restaurant, Chestergate, before settling at the Little Theatre.

John Hadfield and Hedley's son Michael appeared on the front page of the Macclesfield County Express on 24 November 1960. Publicising The Rainmaker, set on an American cattle ranch, they toured the town centre on a busy Saturday afternoon distributing 'Wanted' posters, dressed in cowboy outfits and ... riding a horse! They were eventually moved along by the local bobbies; John Hadfield remembers this today with a wry smile.

The Gentle People by Irwin Shaw, presented in March 1961, required four complete scene changes. The set took over 1,500 man hours to build and Ken Wetton and his crew received the first bouquet in the County Express review . The play is mostly set at night on a fishing pier, but scenes in a Russian bath-house and on the open sea were performed on the Sunday School stage. Rehearsals were considerably disrupted by a serious 'flu epidemic in the area.

The 700th anniversary of the granting of Macclesfield's Charter was celebrated by a pageant of twenty tableaux of Macclesfield life. MADS were asked to provide two of these tableaux for this event in June 1961. Both were produced with Hedley Palin directing and John Hadfield taking the narrative roles. The event was held in the South Park on the back of specially dressed lorries.

The 50th Production

The first production of the 1961/62 season was a significant milestone for MADS, the fiftieth full length production . Lesley Storm's Roar Like A Dove, produced by Frank Snelson, marked the first appearance of Chris Nixon, a regular for the next twenty years and still an active member off-stage with lengthy stints as treasurer and bar chairman, and, from 2000, as chairman. Roar Like a Dove almost failed to live up to expectations, at least on the opening night. The review in the Macclesfield Advertiser reads 'The laughs were there, but the roar came near to falling flat .' Nevertheless the review goes on to praise the production and notes that it was very popular with the audience.

A souvenir programme was assembled for the 50th production featuring a history of the society, biographies of the producers (Bob Roberts, John H Palin and Frank Snelson), a resume of the logistics of staging a play and a full list of members (86 in total). The Society stood a loss of £40 with the production of these programmes .

Roar Like a Dove was followed by The Rose Without a Thorn, the first costume drama for some time. Based on the life of Katheryn Howard, it was a personal success for Colin Read portraying Henry VIII. It was an ambitious play with heavy demands on both cast and crew requiring twenty-six acting members and the involvement of twenty others, headed by John Hadfield as stage manager and assisted by John Sadler, himself a talented stage manager.

Acting the Goat with the Acting Goat

MADS would receive considerable press coverage for the production of Teahouse of the August Moon in February 1962. A goat plays a central role in this lengthy and now somewhat old-fashioned play. Both the search for and appearance of Snowy (playing Snowball) provided many column inches for both the local and national press with eight goats being 'auditioned' by producer John Hedley Palin. Many of the cast were required to portray Orientals, further complicating rehearsals and characterisation. The main role of the narrator was taken by Kenneth Wetton. The complex set was highly praised by reviews and it is perhaps unfortunate that the press coverage included photographs of a pantomime backdrop and a not-wholly-convincing jeep. Nevertheless, the Macclesfield County Express even went so far as to suggest that Maxonians should 'forgo the "telly" and bingo for a night and have a gay, spicy, colourful time .' The production went on to win the McLoughlan Trophy by the British Drama League Festival for the best amateur production in the north-west during the 1961/62 season.

The next play, Libel, a courtroom drama by Clifford Wooll closed the season and split the critics. The Macclesfield Express described the performance as 'sound entertainment ' but went on to claim 'there was something missing to put this production among the list of the Society's best.' The Advertiser went further, 'It is difficult to see where MADS went wrong. It could have been the choice of the play that let the society down on this occasion.'
The play was discussed at the next Management Committee meeting, on 30 April 1962: 
It was generally felt that in spite of poor houses there had been appreciative audiences. The producer reporting on the play made the following points:- 1) players did not learn their lines nearly soon enough, 2) there seemed to be apathy in some quarters, 3) standards seemed to have dropped and there had been a general lack of discipline during rehearsal.

Upheaval and Uncertainty

Press reports for Something to Hide, the last play of the 1962/63 season, hinted at a great upheaval in the MADS camp:

MADS showed its last play in the Lord Street Theatre last night. Next season it moves to a destination unknown. 

The next two plays, Wanted, One Body and A Letter from the General, were performed at The Morton Hall, Union Street, part of the Hovis site. Understandably, attendance dropped during this period.

A further clue can be found in Colin Read's message to patrons in the programme for Something to Hide: 

As we draw to the close of our 1962-63 season there are many conjectures concerning the MADS future, as our present landlords are ceasing to exist in their present capacity. 

The Lord Street Trustees wanted to relinquish the building, leaving MADS homeless. Evidently MADS use of the building was never satisfactory to all parties. The newsletter of 4 July 1955 records that the Macclesfield Town Band were contributing 'considerable disharmonious noises' during rehearsals, and the Management Committee minutes for 3 November 1958 note that rehearsals were distracted by the noise of children. The building as a whole was described as MADS Headquarters in the programme for Roar Like a Dove (1961), despite the agreement that MADS would rent the lower floor only, and this, among other things, led to a few complaints from the Lord Street Trustees.

The Amorous Prawn in February 1964 was staged at Lord Street, but, as Colin Read noted 'We have hopes that, if luck is with us, we may be settled permanently in the near future.' 

Colin Read, in his report to the AGM that year said that:

during the past eighteen months our plans have twice been thwarted, first at Trinity and later at a new site to be granted by the Corporation.

'Trinity' refers to the Schoolroom of Trinity Methodist Church, now demolished, a possible site for the Little Theatre. Negotiations broke down due to circumstances beyond the control of the Society. It is not clear what the 'new site' could have been. Mr Read continues:

We have again during the past few months made a bid for security of our home, but the indications are not encouraging .

The Little Theatre

Affairs were still uncertain throughout the year but it was a meeting between MADS officials and representatives of Macclesfield Council, held on 13 November 1964 that crystallised MADS plans and secured the future of amateur theatre in Macclesfield. The president, secretary and treasurer of MADS discussed several alternatives with the Mayor, Town Clerk and Borough Treasurer with the result, conveyed to Colin Read in a letter from Walter Isaac, the Town Clerk, on 4 December 1964, that the Council would make a grant of £750 and an interest-free ten year loan for a further £750. This covered the purchase price of £1,500 that had previously been negotiated between MADS and the Lord Street Trustees.

An important condition of the agreement noted that the Council would reclaim the grant and any outstanding loan payments should MADS sell the property, or if the property was compulsorily purchased for redevelopment or clearance.

Funds for refurbishment of the building were raised by the members. New interlocking chairs for the auditorium were purchased through covenants and donations; some of these are still in use in the theatre today.

A major refurbishment of the stage and scenery store was carried out in preparation for re-opening. Several members, led by Ken Wetton and John Sadler, completed the work to a very tight schedule, sometimes working late into the night to ensure that the stage was worthy of the new theatre.

The Little Theatre was officially opened on 21 September 1965 by the Mayor of Macclesfield, Councillor JVG Hope who remarked that he had:

heard a lot of talk that there was nothing to do [in the town]. It depends on what you want to do. If it means lounging round [sic] in a darkened cellar with long hair and drinking coffee we do not want anything of that sort in the town.

The official opening was followed by a performance of the melodramatic The Murder of Maria Marten (or The Red Barn). The Macclesfield Advertiser noted that the play was one 'that many of the older folk thoroughly enjoyed .' Making her début in this play was teenager Pat Poynton (later Pat Dean) who evidently was not interested in coffee-drinking. Pat would perform regularly with the Society over the next twenty-five years and hold the post of ticket secretary from 1969 to 1975 and hon. secretary between 1975 and 1981. Also appearing in this play, taking the lead, was Dennis Johns, a principal leading man for MADS during the nineteen sixties.

The deeds of the Lord Street building were transferred to the society in September 1966 . Several MADS members were included among the trustees and some are still active members today: Win Hall, Jane Keylock, Chris Nixon and John Hadfield.

'MADS Will Not Tackle the Bard'

The first MADS play to receive bad press notices was When We Are Married in October 1949. 'Hackneyed' and 'the Society is not to be a medium for raising theatrical appreciation in the town' reported the Macclesfield Courier. And in the Macclesfield Times, 'The technique and polished presentation which we have come to expect from this talented company was [sic] not sufficiently in evidence.' However, the same reviews agreed that the acting was of the usual standard and MADS was 'a thoroughly entertaining body.' Indeed, the production went on to take second place in the Buxton Festival.

This is the earliest example of a problem that has dogged amateur dramatic societies for decades. Should the plays chosen be guaranteed crowd-pullers, or should the society produce more challenging theatre; challenging not just for the actors and stage crew but also for the audience? MADS policy in this regard can perhaps best be summed up by Colin Read's philosophy 'Worthwhile plays, well done!'.

This dilemma led to a most unusual front page story in the Macclesfield Advertiser of 19 June 1964. Headlined 'MADS Will Not Tackle the Bard: Are Some Members Frightened?', the report was initiated by Colin Read's suggestion that MADS should perform one of Shakespeare's plays to mark the 400th anniversary of his birth . 

And it sparked off a squabble that would have done the bard proud in any of his crowded street scenes.

Principal worries were that a Shakespeare play would be difficult to produce, had few parts for women, would not be not funny and would not prove to be a box office draw. Each producer present was asked to give guidance. Frank Snelson, butcher and lover of farces, was quoted as saying 'It's no use trying to sell the housewife a bottle of sauce she doesn't want.' Latent treasurer Chris Nixon was worried about the financial risk, to which Colin Read replied that royalties would not need to be paid! Hedley Palin deflected arguments about the staging by claiming that the society had a stage crew that any West End theatre would be pleased to take over . A vote was finally taken, with 10 for and 13 against.

Two years later, during the May 1966 production of A Midsummer Night's Dream at Gawsworth Hall, presented by LAC Players, Salford as part of Macclesfield Festival, MADS received a credit for lighting effects, music and set decor. Colin Read was house manager.

Colin Read mentioned during his chairman's address at the AGM of 1969 that MADS decision not to stage Shakespeare was reversed at an Extraordinary General Meeting. MADS was subsequently asked, at the beginning of the 1970s, to present the annual Shakespearean productions at Gawsworth Hall, but were unable to take part, presumably due to the commitments of the regular play season

It would be almost twenty-five years later, in 1993, before MADS would take on a Shakespeare play with the production of Hamlet. It would be a satisfying production for the cast and crew (and audiences who were unstinting in their praise) but a critical failure:

A most intelligent reading of a complex and difficult play. The overall concept of the production was a little inconsistent both in performance and design. Playing styles varied so that naturalistic playing was intermingled with highly stylised work and the match was not always comfortable.

And,

I do applaud the adventurous nature of the company and the production. If it fell somewhat short of expectations (and its potential) this is more a comment on the difficulties of staging Shakespeare, and Hamlet in particular, with all its attendant problems, than with the inability of either director or company to meet the demands. The production needed a much sharper focus: a clearer statement of intent needed to be made. It was good to see a company tackling Shakespeare and taking risks .

While this does not vindicate the comments against Shakespeare made in 1964, those who saw the play can draw their own conclusions.

Many 'difficult' authors have been tackled by MADS. The names of Jean Anouilh, Anton Chekhov, Christopher Fry, Yves Cabrol, Aldous Huxley, John Osbourne, AW Pinero, JP de Moliere, Harold Pinter, Joe Orton, Dennis Potter, Martin Sherman, David Storey, John Godber, David Hare and Tom Stoppard may not appear in a list of plays performed by a less adventurous society.

Festival Success in the Sixties and Seventies

After a break of ten years, MADS one-act play The Monkey's Paw, produced by John H Palin, won the McGrath Trophy in the preliminary round of the British Drama League's National Festival of Community Theatre, held at the Worthington Hall, Manchester on 19 February 1965.

The Lark by Jean Anouilh was presented by MADS as part of the 1966 Macclesfield Arts Festival, allowing the Society to choose a difficult but rewarding play away from the main play season. Again produced by John H Palin, the leading role, that of Joan of Arc, was played by Dorothy Nixon in 'a stupendous performance.'

John H Palin's production of The Physicists by Friedrich Durrenmatt, second play of the 1966/67 season was awarded the Simon Saft Memorial Trophy at the 1967 AGM of the British Drama League (North Western Section) for the most outstanding and adventurous play. This was despite a lukewarm reception from a contemporary reviewer:

Their interpretation of the play never really settled down to a fluid presentation of the powerful situations and ideas and the drama, the pathos, and the dry humour were almost completely lost in the jerky, stilted production.

Anton Chekhov's The Proposal, also produced by John H Palin, and previously performed by MADS at the 1958 Macclesfield Music Festival, was revived in 1968 for the British Drama League's one-act festival and for the Buxton Drama Festival where it won the comedy open class. AW Pinero's Victorian farce Dandy Dick was presented as part of the Macclesfield Arts Festival of 1969.

Hedley Palin gained further festival success in 1970 when his production of the one-act play The Animal would win the open section of the Cheshire Drama Festival. Barbara Northwood's production of The Lovers by Harold Pinter reached the divisional finals of the National One Act Play Final in the early part of 1972 and Hedley Palin's production of Yves Cabrol's The Elephant would go one further, to the Northern Area Final, in 1974.

Hedley Palin's main season production of Jane Eyre reached the final of the 1974 Cheshire Community Council One-Act Play Competition and would receive considerable complimentary press coverage following the five-night run at the Little Theatre in February 1974.

The Browning Version, produced by Dawn Sims, was awarded runner-up in the 1976 Buxton Festival, and this production won both the best actor and best actress awards at the same event. It also won the British Theatre Association Festival that season.

The End of the Sixties

Charley's Aunt, a perennial favourite for a hundred years has twice been performed by MADS. The first MADS production, in May 1967, featured Chris Nixon as the eponymous matron and gained good notices for John Hadfield and John Keylock as his partners-in-deceit. The play was also performed for several nights at Buxton Playhouse and, by invitation, at the Colwyn Bay Festival. Chris later appeared in the 1996 revival of the play.

The MADS stage was improved and enlarged during the 1967 closed season, improving the width of vision from all parts of the theatre and increasing the backstage areas. This work was carried out by John Sadler, Bob Dawson and John Hadfield, assisted by a small number of members.

Another late-sixties play revived in the 1990's was Robert Bolt's A Man for All Seasons. MADS first run of this play ran from 30 April to 4 May 1968. Costumes from the film version, which starred Paul Schofield, were used and original music was recorded by boys of Broken Cross Secondary School. The play was produced by Hedley Palin and was praised for its simple but effective staging, consisting of just three chairs and a table. This production reached the final of the Cheshire Community Council County Play of the Year Festival. The high standard of acting was remarked upon in several contemporary press clippings, particularly John Daglish as Sir Thomas More and John Hadfield who played the multi-faceted Common Man, allowing him to 'show his prowess as a comic and jack-of-all-trades.' John Hadfield would later direct the 1994 revival of this play.

John Daglish, MADS leading man in this period, performed 'one man shows' reading Dickens. He would subsequently try his hand at directing, taking charge of a successful production of Moliere's Tartuffe in November 1969. This would prove to be his only directorial outing for MADS despite may lead roles, having to relinquish director's duties for business reasons.

Honor Blackman, Audrey Hepburn, Dorothy Nixon

Wait Until Dark was produced in February 1970, close behind a West End run starring Honor Blackman; 'It would obviously be ridiculous to compare the two productions', stated the Macclesfield Express, but went on to say that 'both were equally enjoyable .' A successful film featuring Audrey Hepburn had also been recently shown in the town; 'It would be unfair to make too close a comparison between the film and MADS effort', ran one newspaper, 'but ... there was little to choose .'

The leading role in MADS production was played by Dorothy Nixon, and the reviews were unstinting in their praise: 'the outstanding player' and 'a stunning performance'. John Daglish was also highly commended.

Pantomime : Oh yes we did!

MADS ventures into pantomime perhaps go against the principles of a forward-thinking amateur dramatic society. Nevertheless, commencing in January 1965, the society was involved in several pantomime shows. Aladdin (1969), Dick Whittington (1970) and Snow White & The Dwarfs (1971) were performed as joint productions with the Patterson School of Dancing and were produced by John H Palin. 

Jean Patterson continued to present New Year pantomimes throughout the 1970's and into the 1980's but with the credit 'Presented by the Patterson School of Dancing with guest artistes.' These guests were drawn from both MADS and the Macclesfield Majestic Theatre Group. All proceeds, often substantial amounts, were donated to MADS.Jean Patterson (later Jean Jones) was awarded life membership of MADS in 1984 in recognition of her contribution to the Society.

The Talent Scheme

A fund-raising idea introduced around this time was the Talent Scheme. Each member was given £1 and asked to arrange an event with the intention of making a return on the investment. This was a revival of a previous scheme run in 1962.

The principal among these was a production of The Hollow Crown, 9-10 May 1970; other events included a fashion show, a slide show, a potato pie supper, bring and buy sale, art exhibition, and a 'Wig & Undies evening.' 

This scheme ran for several years, raising over £600 for the company.

The Arrival of Dawn Sims

The part of Irene Molloy in the November 1970 production of The Matchmaker marked the MADS début of Dawn Sims. From a contemporary review:

She possessed that irresistible zest which turned a mediocre part into a performance which almost rivalled those of Brian Stewart and Jane Keylock [the lead roles].

Dawn was born in Hong Kong and took to the stage at the age of seven when she played a tree, but became stage-struck playing Joan of Arc at High School. She attended drama college and later joined the Plymouth Shakespeare Society, Barnes Dramatic Society, Bromley Little Theatre and Clarence Players (Belfast). 

Following her début, Dawn took a lead role in The Chalk Garden in November 1971. This was her 100th acting role, and she again received good notices: 'one of Dawn's best ever performances for the society ' and 'a sensitive depiction of the convicted murderess .'
Dawn's directorial début for MADS was in 1974 with the production of Relatively Speaking by Alan Ayckbourn which won the BTA's Peel Trophy. She has since directed more than twenty main season plays, including such successful and varied productions as My Three Angels (1977), Whose Life Is It Anyway? (1985), Outside Edge (1986), A Month Of Sundays (1990, winner of that season's Cheshire Community Council County Play of the Year), Bedroom Farce (1990), Daisy Pulls It Off (1991), A Day in the Life of Joe Egg (1993) and Veronica's Room (1996). Not a bad record for one who was most adamant that she did not wish to direct and was persuaded and cajoled into it by the then chairman, John Hadfield.

Dawn has continued to act and was particularly memorable in such recent productions as Corpse! (1994) and Noises Off (1995). Dawn also spent many years as vice-chairman, including two stints as acting chairman.

Hedley Palin's 50th Production

The 1972 production of Arms and the Man was Hedley Palin's fiftieth production for the society; a remarkable tally in just twenty-one years . George Bernard Shaw's satire on the unrealities of war was a great success, despite the threat of power cuts which meant that the eight-strong cast needed to keep torches backstage . Contemporary press reports note that many companies throughout the country cancelled their winter productions at the beginning of 1972, but MADS was determined to acknowledge its debt to its long-standing producer.

Hedley's contribution had clearly been part of MADS climb to be the standard bearers of live theatre in Macclesfield. His contribution to local theatre was recognised in 1973 when he was appointed the adjudicator for the Donald McLaughlin Trophy by the British Theatre Association, a trophy that he himself had won with his production of Teahouse of the August Moon in 1962.

The John H Palin Trophy for Stagecraft, awarded by the British Theatre Association, was inaugurated at the start of the 1974/75 season in recognition of his second term as adjudicator.

Hedley was elected an honorary life member of MADS at the 1974 AGM, president in 1979 and would directed a remarkable total of sixty-seven plays for MADS before his death in 1990.

When We Are Re-Married

JB Priestley's enduring farce When We Are Married was first performed by MADS in 1949. The first revival in 1973 would include two of the original cast; Frank Snelson and Geoff Buckley, repeating roles they had played twenty-four years before. To complete the circle, Kenneth Wetton was asked to produce the play, his first for the Society since Is Your Honeymoon Really Necessary? in 1960.

The cast was made up of the core of MADS acting talent - names who appeared regularly in plays of this period: Joan Chappell, Win Hall, John Hadfield, Phil Corke, Pat Poynton, Dawn Sims and Chris Nixon.

The play would be revived again in 1988.

Colin Read Steps Down

Colin Read intended to retire from the role as chairman in 1971 but stayed on until a suitable replacement could be found.

Two years later John Hadfield was elected chairman and would hold the post until 1979, and again between 1981 and 1986, taking the Society through two of its most traumatic periods.

Colin Read was appointed a life member in recognition of his twenty years' service as chairman and was chief guest at a dinner on 8 June 1973 in his honour at the Deanwater Hotel in Woodford when he was presented with an armchair. He would continue to take acting roles until 1979, management roles until 1985 and remained an avid supporter of MADS until his unfortunate death in 1992.

A small notice in the programme for The Importance of Being Earnest marked the death of MADS founding chairman, Frank Snelson, in February 1975.

Legal Changes Spell Trouble

The introduction of the Theatres Act in 1968 and the Fire Protection Act in 1971 would have broad consequences for MADS, culminating in complete closure of the theatre for three years in the early 1980's. A fire escape corridor, built in late 1972, was just the first of a number of major construction works that would be required to enable the theatre to remain active. In his chairman's report at the 1974 AGM, John Hadfield, noted that the work required to meet this legislation had been at 'a considerable cost to the Society in both monetary and manpower terms .' This was the first indication of the problems that would almost bring the Society to its knees.

At the next AGM, in 1975, John Hadfield appealed to local industry to provide financial help to offset the rising costs of the maintenance of the Little Theatre. Over £2,000 was needed for replacement guttering, and, despite making a season's profit of £833, the Society was faced with increased costs and reduced revenue. By the next Management meeting, 4 August 1975, a total of £63 had already been raised by this method.

Doctor in Love (October 1975) was 'an embarrassing mixture of script and ad lib .' Pygmalion (February 1976) was haunted by 'the spectre of mediocrity ... way below their usual high standards .' Two and Two Make Sex (October 1976) was 'hackneyed ... the type of play that hamstrings its players ... nothing to distinguish it from a hundred others ' (although this production later won the BTA's Peel Trophy). In terms of artistic achievement, MADS was in need of drastic changes. These changes would be forced upon the society from an unsuspected source.

Produced by John Hadfield

John Hadfield's reputation as an actor had increased throughout his twenty years as a member of MADS. In 1975 he had received excellent reviews for his lead role in There's a Girl in my Soup, the Macclesfield Express noting that he 'must be in the running to out-drop Brian Rix, judging by the number of times he takes his trousers off.'

John had originally planned to co-produce There's a Girl in my Soup, but switched to take the lead role due to casting problems. His first production would, therefore, be Stringer's Last Stand, the last play of the 1975/76 season. The Macclesfield Express suggested that this production was 'one of [MADS] best ever .' John Hadfield has since produced over a dozen main season plays for the Society.

Crisis

In January 1977, MADS financial and artistic problems would come to a head when the Fire Officer refused to re-license the premises and allow performances to continue in the theatre due to the lack of a suitable fire exit from the first floor auditorium. Alleviation of this severe restriction was not forthcoming, despite urgent discussion between the Fire Officer, MADS chairman John Hadfield and treasurer Cyril Northwood. Ironically, the Society had just completed its repayments on the interest-free loan provided by the Council for the purchase of the building. 

An emergency committee meeting was held on 21 January. The proposed production of Blithe Spirit was postponed and later cancelled and, as a purely temporary measure that would last four years, the stage and seating were moved to the ground floor, implementing a plan that had been devised and proposed by John Hadfield and approved by the MADS Management Committee. Move Over Mrs Markham and a planned one-act play festival were also subsequently cancelled.

The new auditorium was hardly satisfactory. The number of seats was reduced (to 180) and visibility was affected due to the pillars supporting the upper floor. The new stage was only 7ft 6ins deep with an additional 3ft thrust, around a third of the depth of the current stage. The cost of the move would total £926.17.

Night Must Fall by Emlyn Williams was the first play in the new auditorium, produced by Barbara Northwood in September 1977. The number of performances was increased from five to six to provide extra revenue (due to the reduced seating capacity), breaking a tradition in place since the earliest days of the Society. This number of performances remains in force today.

Sweeney Todd

Posterity does not record why MADS, a drama company, should have chosen to present a musical based upon the life of a murderous Victorian barber. Nevertheless, Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber was produced at the Little Theatre between 20 and 25 February 1978.

Brian Stewart, Dawn Sims and Colin Read took the lead roles in a show 'short on singing power '; the first and last musical presented by the Society. Only eleven people attended the opening night of this production , despite the attraction of meat pies in the interval, which made a profit of £14.73.

Later in the year, There Goes the Bride, a farce, provided the first MADS stage role for John Moore, later much involved with the management of the Society as secretary (1981-1986 and 1987-1992) and chairman (1992-1996).

John Hadfield's temporary absence from the role of chairman (due to ill health) was filled by Dawn Sims during the early months of 1979, then by Brian Jefferson from the 1979 AGM to early 1981.

Redevelopment

Proposals for an Arts Centre for Macclesfield, drawn up by John Hadfield in 1974, had been reinforced on 15 October 1976 at a meeting between MADS officials and trustees when it became evident that a new road through the centre of Macclesfield, Churchill Way, would not, as was proposed, require the demolition of the Little Theatre. John Hadfield took this opportunity to suggest to the Macclesfield Borough Council (MBC), Cheshire County Council (CCC) and North West Arts Association (NWA) that the Little Theatre would make an ideal Arts Centre for the town. The costs for conversion were estimated at £40,000.

These proposals were given extra impetus early the following year when fire regulations forced the closure of the building for six months. Barrie Wood of Brotherton & Partners, Chartered Architects, was employed to draw up reconstruction plans from John Hadfield's proposals and technical outlines. Hedley Palin's scale model of the proposals excited considerable interest at that year's AGM.

A large feature in the new Community News in July 1978 now placed the estimate at £70,000 and suggested that financial help would be available from CCC, MBC and NWA. This was finalised at a meeting between concerned parties at the Council Planning Offices, King Edward Street. The MADS Trustees heard MBC, CCC and NWA agree large matching grants for the redevelopment of the theatre: a total of £71,000. There was much jubilation within the Society that day.

Cheshire County Council would ultimately rescind their promise of a grant, resulting in both MBC and NWA backing out. Doug Pickford's editorial of the 9 October 1980 issue of the Macclesfield Express noted 

Macclesfield will be the loser if MADS was to go, but we do not think the fighting spirit will go down without an almighty struggle. Good luck to that small band who are struggling to make sure that the town will have an amateur stage not just now but in many years to come. They deserve all the luck (and money) they can get.

Although much disheartened by the pulling out of the three funding bodies, John Hadfield called a Special Extraordinary General Meeting of the membership. Supported by the Management Committee, the chairman proposed that the society 'go it alone' and a decision was taken to go ahead and start on the first phase of the reconstruction as well as to raise the necessary money by appeal. 

Consequently, the theatre closed after the December 1980 production of Toad of Toad Hall with the intention to reopen at the start of the 1981/82 season. Planned productions of Loot (to have been produced by John Hadfield) and A Servant of Two Masters (to have been produced by Barbara Northwood) were cancelled. These alterations included roof repairs and new guttering, removal of the first floor, installation of a new stage, rewiring, tiered seating, construction of a fire-proof ceiling over the auditorium, new carpets and curtaining, a new lighting and sound box and a refurbished coffee room, kitchen and foyer.

This initial nine-month closure would stretch to almost three and a half years.