The Ayr Fort Players started from humble
beginnings in a school classroom at Ayr Academy in 1946 to becoming one of the
longest established, much loved amateur dramatic groups in Ayrshire. The
earliest productions were staged at Ayr Town Hall, a challenging venue in which
to perform drama - limited lighting, bad acoustics, no proscenium, absolutely
no changing facilities - but they persevered.
Then came an absolute revelation for the
local drama community – Ayr Burgh Council had been convinced to buy and convert
the Robertson Memorial Church into a Civic Theatre. So, from 1951 through to
the early 2000s, local drama groups and touring companies had a wonderful new
home. The theatre was an ideal size for drama and is still fondly remembered by
those who played there or attended performances. In 2009 South Ayrshire Council
took the hasty decision to demolish the theatre with concerns that there was an
asbestos problem – that was an incredibly sad day.
The Ayr Fort Players then moved into the
Gaiety theatre but, just as they were about to stage How the Other Half
Loves, the council shut the theatre down. Luckily there was an opening at
Belmont Academy a year later, again a challenging venue but, if nothing else,
the group are always up for a challenge.
Eventually, after the Gaiety Theatre
was saved and taken over by Ayr Gaiety Partnership, the Ayr Fort Players had,
once again, found a new and exciting home.
Over the years, the Ayr Fort Players, have
provided entertainment with classic farces such as See How They Run, Move
Over Mrs Markham; quality modern drama – 84 Charing Cross Road, Steel
Magnolias; Scottish comedies – Toom Byres, Whisky Galore and stage
adaptations of popular TV sitcoms such as Dad’s Army and Fawlty
Towers. In fact the Ayr Fort Players were the first to perform the stage
adaptation of Fawlty Towers and were also the first amateur group
granted the rights to Tony Roper’s famous Scottish comedy The Steamie,
which played to packed houses during the 1997 Ayr Festival.
For Homecoming
Scotland 2009, the production was Rikki Fulton’s uproarious A Wee Touch O’
Class. Since then, the productions have covered Alan Ayckbourn’s How the
Other Half Loves, another successful production of The Steamie, The
Vicar of Dibley, Noises Off, No Sex Please We’re British, The 39 Steps, Stepping
Out (which was produced at the Town Hall while the Gaiety was going through
a facelift), The Ladykillers, City Lights, Gaslight, Murder on the Nile, etc. The production, before the Covid 19 epidemic took hold, was Don’t Get
Your Vicars in a Twist – the last production to take place at the Gaiety
before it was forced to close its doors due to the pandemic. We came bouncing
back in 2022 with The Happiest Days of Your Life . Then, later that year,
we presented an evening of monologues (and one duologue) especially
commissioned for the Ayr Fort Players, using local artists, writers and
directors under the umbrella of Doormatters.
In 2023 our spring
production was Agatha Crusty and the Village Hall Murders which was enthusiastically
received. Our Autumn production was Dead of Night a thriller, which fell on the same weekend as the International Air Show, so only had two performances. 2024 saw another successful production, this time it was Amateur Rites. In a normal year, the Ayr Fort Players
stage two productions, one in spring and one in autumn. Also, they are involved
in Ayr’s many cultural events, touring and presenting one act plays. In fact, the autumn of 2024 saw them perform a new play in the shape of a radio show being recorded with live sound effects - Five Go To Glasgow. This was on at the Gaiety Studio in August and then toured Ayrshire. 2025 saw a departure to something much grittier - The Girl on the Train which was met with enthusiastic reviews from our audience. Then we revived Doormatters but with a twist, as we took you through the decades, starting in 1950 and ending up at the present day - Doormatters: Through the Decades was another success. 2026 saw us have a look at Agatha Christie's The Mirror Crack'd in a new adaptation by Rachel Wagstaff, this was a huge crowd pleaser.
If you are interested in an Ayr Fort Players production for your venue, please contact the President
Up to 2024 profits from their productions were
donated to Cancer Research and, as of 2022, in excess of £60,000 has been
handed over to this much deserved charity. It was decided in 2025, due to producing The Girl on the Train, that we should donate to the South Ayrshire Women's Aid.
It seems nothing can stop the Ayr Fort
Players and that is partly due to loyal audiences coming out for an evening's
entertainment, knowing they can bring the whole family and have a great night
at the theatre.
Click on the arrow for details of shows.
If show has a live link then clicking on it will lead you to any images we have in our archives.
Ayr Fort Players have a variety of costumes from past productions which we hire out at a nominal fee. We also have props and furniture for hire.
Please use enquiry form below
My late & much beloved aunt Eileen Dalling née King & her husband Tom (he of T H DALLING, tobacconist, 5 Burns Statue Square) were members in the 50s & I thought I recalled seeing Eileen (when I was a child) as Beauty in a production of Beauty & the Beast but I see no record of the show in the archive😢
Geoffrey: Your aunt Eileen was well known and loved by all members who were in the AFP at the time. I would say it was more the 60s than 50s. She and her husband were lovely people and supported the AFP very generously. Eileen could well have been a professional actress. No matter whether she was playing a loveable role or an evil one, she excelled. Beauty and the Beast? Not with the AFP but she may well have been in a production with another company. Thank you for the memory.
Auditions for new productions are open to all who wish to
attend. Aspiring actors aren’t the only section of the theatrical community
that we welcome with open arms. It takes many people to stage our productions.
So, if you think you wouldn’t be comfortable on stage, why not consider joining
us in one of the many other departments such as Stage Management, Props,
Wardrobe, Scenic Design and Construction? We expect all our members to be
involved in all productions if possible – one production you may be playing the lead
and the next you could be a vital part of the backstage crew.
Normally we rehearse twice a week in Ayr.
Membership costs only £20 per year, or £5 if you are a
full-time student. If you are over 16 and are interested in becoming a member
then fill in our form and we will let you know when the next audition is being
held or invite you along to our current rehearsals.
You can also contact us via Facebook or
Twitter.
For absolutely any questions you may have about the Ayr Fort Players then please use the form opposite and someone will get back to you as soon as possible.
If you wish to join the company then please use the form above in the Join Us section of the website.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Questions we often get asked - and the answers