In December 2025, the Swan Theatre Amateur Company will celebrate 80 years of providing high-quality amateur productions in Worcester and elsewhere.
It all began in 1945 when the Society for the Advancement of Music and the Arts (SAMA) Theatre Group presented J B Priestley’s play, They Came to a City, at College Hall by the Cathedral from 10th – 12th December. Many successful productions followed and the expansion of SAMA activities throughout the 1950s meant they were ideally placed to lead the community-wide fundraising drive to build a new modern theatre in the city, following the closure of the Theatre Royal in 1955.
Fast forward to 22nd June 1965 when the Swan Theatre opened to the public with a SAMA production of comedy play, One Wild Oat, by Vernon Sylvaine (and in June 2015 we performed the first scene of the same play as part of the theatre’s 50th anniversary celebrations). The SAMA theatre group, now named The Swan Theatre Company (STC), became the resident amateur society working alongside and in collaboration with the professional repertory company and the theatre management team.
Working on both the main stage and in the studio, STC (later STAC) has provided opportunities for amateur actors, directors, designers, lighting and sound technicians and backstage crews to develop their skills. Generations of local performers have started their journey with us and many have gone on to enjoy professional careers or lifelong involvement in the arts.
Our audiences have enjoyed classic dramas, comedies, modern works and family-friendly productions including the regular Saturday morning Children’s Theatre shows, which provided an ideal first introduction to theatre for young people. We know that some of the children who attended those shows from the 1960s and 70s have brought their own children and even grandchildren along in recent years. You are never too young, or too old, to enjoy the magic of live theatre.
We are proud to carry the torch of Worcester’s amateur theatre tradition and look forward to many more years of sharing it with you. Join us - on stage, backstage, or in the audience -and be a part of our story.