ABOUT US

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 Ayr Fort Players.

The earliest productions were staged at Ayr Town Hall, a challenging venue in which to perform drama. Limited lighting, 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 Ayr Council took the decision to demolish the theatre with concerns that there was an asbestos problem – that was an incredibly sad day when that happened. Without a home, the Ayr Fort Players took to producing their plays at Belmont Academy, again a challenging venue but, again, they persisted. 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.

The Ayr Fort Players was 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. More recently, 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. Our last production, before the Covid 19 epidemic took hold, was the hysterical farce Don’t Get Your Vicars in a Twist – this was, in fact, the last production to take place at the Gaiety before it was forced to close its doors due to Covid restrictions.

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, such as ‘ladies-only’ productions as part of the annual SeptembAyr Festival.

All profits from their productions are donated to Cancer Research and, as of 2021, in excess of £50,000 has been handed over to this much deserved charity.

And the story is far from over – the Ayr Fort Players will continue, stronger and more entertaining than ever, throughout the coming decades.