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The Petuaria Players on stage

After seeing a work colleague in a photo of the Petuaria Players in a local newspaper Rob went along to an 'open night'. Impressed by what he saw, he volunteered his services, happy to take a backstage role and assist in anyway he could. However, within a fortnight he found himself in rehearsals. Since then he's produced and performed in a variety of plays and become chairman.

The unusual name, Petuaria comes from the Roman name for the Elloughton area. The group'sΜύ been in existence since 1961 and perform around three plays a year. Being involved is a full-time activity and barely a week goes by without readings or meetings taking place. Rob says it's challenging at times, but always fun. The group engage in social activities and include members' families wherever possible.

Although a keen and active group, Rob says its difficult to attract people, particularly men to take part. The main picture on this page features the cast on stage for a performance of Ladies' Day which took place earlier this year. The ladies, simultaneously listening intently was unexpected. It happened during rehearsals and it was decided to keep it in.

The group performs a variety of plays, including the work of Alan Ayckbourn and more recent writing by Nottingham playwright Amanda Whittington. One of Rob's memorable experiences was a performance of 'Happy Families' by John Godber. As the curtain came down the cast were made aware that the play's author was in the audience. He went backstage and gave them positive feedback on their performance and compared their efforts to that of the professionals.

In this picture, Rob (right holding the flowers) is in a scene from 'The Anniversary'. When asked about the hardest part of performing, he says; "learning lines". Everyone has their own particular technique but his is just repetition. Although if someone unexpectedly delivers a wrong line, Rob says thinking on your feet is a must.

In 2011 the Petuaria Players will be in their 50th year and they're hoping to doΜύ something special.Μύ Although at the moment, precise plans are under wraps. Their next performances will be in the autumn something which Rob is looking forward to. For people wishing to participate in the group's activities there are contact details on their website.