About the Ucheldre Rep

The Repertory Company was launched in April 1994, following the introduction of new theatre facilities at the Ucheldre Centre. It rose from the ashes of The Ucheldre Theatrical Society which never reached the point of presenting a play on stage. However, it did rehearse The Anniversary by Bill McIlwraith to an advanced position in 1993 and this would have been the first production by a resident theatre company had it come to fruition. The new company came under the directorship of Myrrha Stanford-Smith who had worked under Tyrone Guthrie in London's West End. Myrrha, originally from Brighton, directed and taught at The Florence Moor Theatre Studio and toured Shakespeare productions in Sussex before opening her own drama school in Worthing. The Company's first play was The Tempest, an ambitious project that involved a full cast of actors and dancers. It was a great production and remains to this day one of the most colourful and successful presentations in the history of the company.

For a short period, the Director of the URC was Trefor Stockwell, who generally acted as well as directed. He enabled the URC to present works by contemporary writers such as Terence Rattigan and Joe Orton, as well as the Welsh historical play Siwan written by Saunders Lewis. The current director is Tom Wallwork who has worked in London's West End theatres.
A glance through the list of past productions reveals the company's ability to present a diverse range of plays. This has encouraged one or two members to step up and direct plays themselves, including Peter Schofield, Brian Davies, Frank Gibbons, and Karen Ankers. Karen has written and directed two award winning plays for the Anglesey Drama Festival. Frank Gibbons has written several plays that have found success in Lancashire theatres.

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