A seaside theatre is gearing up for a summer season of comedy, mystery and music.
But as Sheringham Little Theatre audiences enjoy six weeks of laughter, dance, song and spine-chills, they may not realise the hard work that goes on behind the scenes.
A seven-strong professional cast, plus a bevy of backstage people, are rehearsing one play during the day, performing another in the evening, gearing up for another in the wings, then stepping back for “encores” as dramas return after a short break.
The supercharged stage season is a theatre tradition – known as repertory or “rep” – and Sheringham is one of only a handful of venues still doing it, as the art form becomes an endangered species.
Though it is demanding on the cast and creative backstage teams, it is renowned as the best training ground for actors as they throw themselves into multiple shows and characters in a pressure cooker few weeks of hard work.
Theatre director Debbie Thompson, who did three seasons of rep during her 10-year acting career, explained: “It’s exhausting, terrifying, very pressured and you really have to work hard.
“But it is the best way to learn after coming out of drama school – doing so many parts in such a short space of time. With a West End show you have six weeks of lead-in, plus a week of previews, so by opening night you know the show so well. In rep you get a few days!”
Debbie met husband, and regular summer drama director, Simon during a rep season at Sheringham in 1992. They were in Trap for a Lonely Man.
“Simon was the lonely man and I was ‘the trap’ in my first rep lead part! I was very nervous and was waiting the wings for my entrance but one of the other actors dried up. Simon was sending me pleading looks into the wings. I read the signs and made an early entrance – and he thought then ‘I will marry her!’”
Sadly, after boom years following the Second World War, rep started to decline in the 1970s and 80s with the rise of TV-based drama, which became the fledging ground for actors spreading their wings.
Debbie added: “There are only a handful of rep venues left now – mostly along the East Anglia coast – are we are proud to be among them. Our audiences love traditional rep as part of their traditional seaside holiday and ring up to ask when the farce is on so they can plan their vacation dates.
“It remains an important training ground for actors, and backstage people from writers to stage crew and costumes. We have a great core of versatile actors, but we like to bring in new talent too to keep it fresh.”
Simon, who also did rep acting before turning to directing, said the special challenges of rep included “logistics – getting costumes, lights, sound, and stage movement together as well as creating the characters, in just four or five days.”
It also meant rep actors needed to versatile people who could make decisions and changes quickly.
“People love seeing actors play different characters over the course of a few weeks – appearing as an old person in one play and a young lover or villain in another.”
Actor Rachel Cummins, whose summer roles last year ranged from a maid to a lonely and bullied mother, said: “Rep is a brilliant experience where, as an actor, you have to make bold choices quickly, work well in a short rehearsal period, and throw yourself in.
“It teaches you to think fast and not be shy! It’s amazing, as you also get to explore a variety of characters from hugely physical farces to deeply emotional scenes. It really pushes you to your extremes, and it’s the best fun ever!”
The shows in Sheringham Little Theatre’s 2026 summer season are:
- Lend Me a Tenor – a fast-paced comedy set in a hotel suite ahead of a major opera performance – (July 29-Aug 1, Aug 12-15, Aug 28-29)
- Little Shop of Horrors – cult comedy horror rock musical featuring a killer plant in a run- down flower shop – (Aug 5-6, 8. 10-11. 24-25)
- Night Must Fall – psychological thriller involving murder and manipulation in the home of a wealthy old woman – (Aug 19-21, 26-27)
- On the Edge – premiere of the winner of SLT’s inaugural playwriting competition, a gentle comedy set in a clifftop home – (Sept 2-5)
For tickets visit www.sheringhamlittletheatre.com or call the box office on 01263 822347.
