| Status: | Active, open to new members |
| Email the coordinator: | |
| When: | On Monday afternoons Check program for dates, times and locations |
| Venue: | Varies |
The Theatre group is a new group (Nov 2025) so keep an eye open for latest news of what is happening. We will try to keep this page up to date but you may also want to contact Lindsay for news.
Our aim is to have fun, to learn from local professionals and experts about the theatre, plays, playwrights and what’s involved in putting on a show; and, of course, to go to the theatre to see plays and musicals in the flesh.
We are going to have a visit to the theatre every quarter (Sheffield, Derby, Nottingham, Buxton, Manchester), preceded by either reading the play or having a presentation about it, and following the production by a discussion. We’ll intersperse those sessions with presentations from local professionals and experts on the theatre in general, costume, set design, stage management, acting and directing - so that we have a fuller picture of how a play moves from page to stage. We usually meet every second Monday in the month from 2-4pm in the Friends Meeting House in Bakewell.
Click on the link below to see our programme for the year.
If you’d like to join us, get in touch – everyone is welcome!
If you would like more information, please contact me by clicking here
Lindsay
Programme
Meetings are monthly, usually on the second Monday, from 2-4pm at the Friends Meeting House in Bakewell. (Any variations from that are marked in bold below).
Minutes of first meeting
Bakewell U3A Theatre Group
First meeting, November 27, 2025
Present – Lindsay J, Hisako R, Jennie S, John A, Aileen C, David H, Jo H, Marian B, Ainslie K, Glenys M, Margaret C, Bernard M, Angela B
The aim of the meeting was to set some ground rules and an agenda for the group.
The group took the following decisions:
We will have refreshments provided by Jo, Angela, Jennie, John and Margaret. They will purchase refreshments and charge members for them – 50p was suggested but the group will decide.
We will source scripts to enable us to read plays before seeing them. Margaret volunteered to take on that role.
We will visit the theatre quarterly. We will aim to go to local performances with once or twice a year a visit to Sheffield or Buxton. We will try to see matinee shows and we will not hire buses, but will car share, with the non-drivers paying for the car park (which will amount to around £5 per passenger). We will set an upper limit of £60 for tickets. (Hisalko volunteered to look into the use of the Community bus service as another option for travel).
Our first theatre visit will be in January to see A Christmas Carol. Lindsay will canvass for potential dates.
We will invite speakers and are ready to offer £20 as a gesture of thanks to them where necessary. Members will be invited to pay £2 on those occasions to cover the cost.
We created a small steering group of Lindsay, Margaret, David and Glenys to guide the work of the group.
Based on discussion and voting, our preferred choices of activities for the coming meetings are:
1) Presentations on:
a) The history of theatre
b) Playwrights
c) Page to stage:
i) Finance
ii) Direction
iii) Set design
2) Going to see plays
a) Live
b) Recorded live (NT live, Globe live, Covent Garden, the Met…)
3) Visits backstage – to Sheffield, Buxton, Chatsworth…
The aim of the group is to:
- Be friendly, welcoming, inclusive, fun and vibrant.
- Share inspiration and enjoyment with other enthusiasts.
- Read, see and discuss shows.
- Learn about the process of page to stage.
- Support local artists and venues
Lindsay will check on the best time of the month for the group, to enable as many people as possible to attend.