Save Parish Players!

Parish Players is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Peter Smith.

Donation protected

Parish Players is an amateur dramatic society based in South West London. It was started in 1956 by the vicar at the time and a group of local youngsters who put on their first Pantomime in January 1957. The organisation remains affiliated with the church, rehearsing and performing in the Parish Hall to this day, but anybody is welcome to join - whether part of the church or not.

Parish Players has a loyal and committed membership, with one of our members remaining a part of Parish Players since that very first performance! We pride ourselves on being accessible and open to all, regardless of background, experience, skills or financial position. We aim to keep our joining fees low and our membership is wide ranging from school children to retirees, from those who have joined along with friends and the many who have come along without knowing anybody at all. Many of our members have made lifelong friendships, we’ve had a few marriages along the way, and some have gone on to professional stage and screen careers, following their time at Parish Players! We feel incredibly lucky and are grateful to be so well supported by our local community, with audiences returning to sell out shows again and again over the years with their growing families – we thank you all for your continuing support.

Parish Players is run by a committee of volunteers and has always been, and will remain, a not-for-profit organisation. We only ever seek to cover our costs and any profits that are made are split between annual charitable donations, maintaining the upkeep of the Parish Hall and stage, and covering our outgoings for our insurances and registration bodies.

Unfortunately, like many not-for-profit organisations around the world, Parish Players has taken a huge financial hit since the pandemic began in early 2020. We were mid-way through rehearsals for our May play – ’The 39 Steps’ – when we had to abandon the production and cancel all shows. We were optimistic and hopeful for a September return to put on a Pantomime, but again we were not able to do this and indeed had to put to one side any plans for a May production as well.

We were hugely excited at the prospect of our return to rehearsals in September 2021 and for curtain up on our production of ‘Camelot The Panto’ in January 2022, however, with the Omicron variant taking hold and many of our cast and crew succumbing to the Covid-19 virus, we were forced to postpone the production until further notice.

We have now had to cancel or postpone four productions which would have brought in much needed funds to keep the organisation afloat. During this time, despite little to no income, the organisation has still had its usual outgoings, including essential repairs and renovation to the stage, lighting and electrics and a number of annual insurance and registration fees. We have also spent out on part and full production and rehearsal costs for both The 39 Steps and Camelot The Panto, including fees for the set build & hire, props hire, costume making & hire, pyrotechnic hire and hall hire.

With so little money in the pot to begin with and no production to bring in any income to cover these outgoings, we now find ourselves in a large financial deficit. We often put on fundraising events, and had indeed hoped to hold one to raise money for a new website before this took hold, however with Covid-19 still resulting in a sense of uncertainty, we are unable to plan anything.

With the current state we find our finances in, we are now at risk of being unable to continue as an organisation unless timely financial help is received.

We are therefore seeking and asking for any financial support you may be able to offer, no matter how large or small, anything is gratefully received to ensure that this longstanding community organisation is able to continue providing a wealth of opportunities and experiences for both our members and audiences for another 60+ years!