If you take a leisurely stroll down the Twickenham riverside, next to ‘the Barmy Arms’ and ‘Church Lane’, you will stumble upon the Mary Wallace Theatre, a charming little theatre, set up by the Richmond Shakespeare Society (RSS) in 1977. The RSS was founded in 1934 by Gladys Eriksen, a former actress who aspired to stage Shakespeare plays. The first production put on by the society was ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ in October 1934. Not until after the Second World War did the society establish a home. This was first, in the Cardigan House Richmond’s concert room, and they performed at this venue for 20 years! However, the original concert room was being demolished, to make space for a new auditorium that unfortunately was unsuitable for their society. After the death of Mary Wallace in 1977, the society decided that they needed a permanent home where they could perform their marvellous plays. This was when the Mary Wallace Theatre was established, in memory of her. The setting up and preparation of the building to be a theatre required a great deal of time, effort and fundraising as it was previously neglected.
Marvellously, in May 1981 the theatre was formally opened by the now King Charles III. It has had many improvements over the years, notably a brand new, flexible stage in 2015 which is perfect for the space as it helps to accommodate a wide variety of shows and seating layouts in a relatively small space. Currently, they stage nine plays a year and hold open auditions regularly, with the next auditions being for Othello on 29th January. It is also possible to become a member of the team in many different aspects, like stage management, lighting & sound or directing, or if you would just like to watch a performance, there is an upcoming one of ‘Whiskey Galore’, 9th-16th December, performed by the ‘All-female Pallas Players’ with thirty parts all played by seven women! It looks like it will be a hilarious, enjoyable and lively production, perfect for an early Christmas present. Local resident Ros Howells shared her view of the theatre, “the Mary Wallace theatre is a wonderful asset to the Twickenham area. I have had the pleasure of watching one of their performances, and I am looking forward to going back again.” This unique and much-loved theatre performs one-of-a-kind productions that you will not want to miss out on.
