First mention of the Society is in the Grayshott District Magazine of 1898, where the Grayshott Dramatic Society, Choral Society and Orchestral Society are all mentioned.

This archive has been loaned the Society’s original record book for the years 1912 to 1931 and following are notes from this book:

In 1913 there were 25 members of the Society comprising 15 male and 10 female. The January 16th and 17th performance of ‘A Pair of Spectacles’ brought in an income of £28.7s.9d with tickets being sold at the Grayshott and Hindhead post offices as well as at the door. After expenses a profit of £10.10s.4d resulted.

The next show was ‘Liberty Hall’ in April and ‘Cricket on the Hearth’ in January 1914. The April performance of ‘Professor’s Ring’ was to be the last before hostilities brought an end to proceedings until December 1919 when performances started again with ‘The Grey Parrot’. A new entertainment tax had by then been introduced and a tax stamp was added to the tickets, this amounted to a total of £4. 3s.9d out of a total value of ticket sales of £18.2s.0d.

The 1920/1 report concludes that there were 18 members with a subscription charge of 1s., members had to pay for copies of the play at 2s. each. Ticket prices were 3s., 2s 6d.,2s. and 1s. and sales for two nights in December 1920 were 511 and the following April 461, both being held on Wednesday and Thursday nights. Music was by the Grayshott Orchestra and the Fernhurst String Band.

The Society travelled to other locations including a performance given at Frensham School and in December 1921 at a concert held by the Grayshott Cricket Club.

Steady success followed throughout the 1920’s with performances to include ‘In Chancery’, Liberty Hall’ and ‘Quinneys’. ‘A Pair of Spectacles’ returned in December 1923 with proceeds after expenses going to “local needs”. In 1926 there were 20 members and the Society took part in the British Drama League Competition in November at the Village Hall when the Midhurst and West Lavington Women’s Institute Drama Club, the Horsham Players and the Society took part in open competition. Grayshott presented ‘Waterloo’. Unfortunately the winners were to be announced at a later date and this does not seem to have been recorded.

In May 1927 the Society contributed to the Grayshott and Hindhead fire brigade fund for a new engine with a donation of £8. By 1930 support seemed to have dwindled and only 6 members are recorded and by 1934 the final balance of £2.16s.3d was paid out as expenses for the last cricket concert.

Richard Peskett
Grayshott Village Archive
September 2008