About Us
We have been presenting shows in Chipstead village for nearly 100 years. For the last quarter-century we have been based exclusively at The Courtyard Theatre, a beautifully-converted stable block situated in the grounds of Longshaw, an old mansion once owned by the Stoddart family.
For many years the Players had leased a part of the stables for use as storage, with productions taking place primarily at the Peter Aubertin Hall nearby. A more extensive lease allowed us to create a bar, rehearsal space and a meeting room at the stables and thoughts turned to converting the premises to create our own theatre. In 1978, we seized the opportunity to purchase the freehold of the stable block and during the early 80s the dream started to take shape. Plans were drawn up for a 97-seat auditorium and funds were raised from within the membership to enable the works to be started. A generous bequest by a former member a few years later enabled the work to be completed, with our first on-site production being Tom Jones, in March 1995.
Now, happily, we have recently been able to afford a new workshop extension to allow more space for the creation of our sets and to give more room behind the scenes for productions to take place. We are proud to be rated amongst the foremost amateur ‘Little Theatre’ venues in the south-east.
If you’ve not yet sampled the entertainment we provide, then please do so before long. We put on seven productions per year, so there’s always something coming up soon. We are ready to welcome new members to assist with our productions at any time. Experience is not necessary; your enthusiasm and commitment will be highly valued and there is room for everyone, so come and join us and be part of the next generation of Chipstead Players!
The Chipstead Players has an enthusiastic section for younger members, known as The Chipstead Players’ Youth Theatre.
Look at our News page to see what we’ve been doing recently!
You can also view The Chipstead Players’ archive of past productions:
Visit our AUDITIONS page to see what’s coming up to get involved with!
If you have a question, look here first:
We are pleased to inform you that you can receive a 10% discount on pre-theatre food at The White Hart Pub, which is opposite the theatre. To claim this discount, simply call 01737 554455 to book, mentioning the deal, and produce your Courtyard Theatre e-ticket to confirm that you are seeing a show at The Courtyard.