History
21st November


Let Loose: Seminar 13th October

From the Editor's Desk

Shirley Valentine Show

From the Editor's Desk

AUDITIONS: Aladdin and the Standard Lamp

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Nomads History

The Nomads has a brand new home behind Bishopsmead Parade in East Horsley.

Their story started some 64 years ago when the Nomads staged their first play, Journey’s End, in the Guildford Borough Hall. Since then there have been many changes. There was the acquisition and refitting of the barn at Bishopsmead, and later an extension to include a bar and new wardrobe. By the time the group celebrated its Diamond Jubilee in 1994 it had become a charity, Nomad Players Limited, and had started a weekly children’s drama workshop - the Nomes. By then the Young Nomads had been active for 20 years and the group had been elected as a member of the Little Theatre Guild of Great Britain.

The decision to build a new theatre led to an immensely busy period for the Nomads, with the planning and designing of the new theatre, the preparation and submission of an application for a National Lottery capital grant and the raising of the obligatory partnership funding to pay for the new building. The National Lottery gave us a unique opportunity to develop a theatre that provided all the facilities we need for our wide-ranging drama activities. From our preliminary application onwards the Arts Council of England encouraged us to build a really well-equipped, good quality theatre.

Initially, in the autumn of 1995, we were awarded an interim grant of up to £50,000, of which we spent £34,000 on developing the best possible design. In April 1996 the Arts Council, after a redesign had been submitted, awarded us a major grant of £911,000. In early 1997 we were awarded a increment to cover additional items; this resulted in a final cost for the building of £1,346,000.

The Nomad Players had to provide £338,000 and they managed to complete this by 2001. The last project of the new theatre development was the inauguration in February 2003 of a sculpture, Dancing Gypsy, in the theatre foyer. It was created by Faith Winter, FRSBS, the renowned sculptor.



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