Who doesn’t remember Community Theatre 4All’s most recent historical play, 'Talaton: A War-Time Refuge', written by Tom Samson?

The play told the story of six Kindertransport children who were housed in Talaton during the Second World War. Performed in April 2022, the play received extensive coverage in local press, radio, and television. The final evening’s audience included over 60 people who had direct connections to the lives portrayed in the drama. These special guests came from as far away as Israel and America as well as from all over the UK. Three of these guests, all in their 90s, were the children whose lives were depicted in the play.

Community Theatre 4All is led by Artistic Director Tom Samson who trained at Dartington College of Arts in Drama and Theatre Arts in the early 1970s. Tom has a wide theatrical background and is looking forward to bringing the company’s latest production, 'Toad of Toad Hall', to audiences. This will be the first time since the memorable 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat' performances given in March 2020 that the company will unite both the youth and adult groups in one production.

Company members, primarily drawn from the villages of Talaton, Whimple and the surrounding area, are not just performers, but also active contributors to the local community. The group gave its first performance, 'Godspell', in Whimple in 2016. Other productions have included an open-air production of 'A Midsummer Night’s Dream' in 2017 and a programme of comedy melodramas that toured local village halls and pubs in 2018. More recently productions have included Tom Stoppard’s 'The Real Inspector Hound' and a one-act double bill comprising Chekhov’s 'The Bear' and David Campton’s 'The Laboratory' - both of these productions were given in 2023.

The theatre group not only performs published work but also creates and presents original pieces based on researched local history. The first such production was 'In Remembrance of a Lost Generation', a First World War drama commemorating the lives of those whose deaths are recorded on the war memorials of Talaton, Whimple and Escot. This play was performed in both Talaton and Whimple in November 2016 and of course, more recently, as already mentioned, 'Talaton: A War-Time Refuge', performed in 2022.

In addition to the thriving adult group, there is now a highly active youth group open to all young people from school year 4 upwards. This group has presented its own work, which has included the musical 'Rats!' based on the story of The Pied Piper of Hamelin, and most recently 'The Little Prince', a production that brought Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's magical story of the same name to the stage. Four performances of Community Theatre 4All’s latest production, 'Toad of Toad Hall' will be given in the grounds of Rull House, Whimple, EX5 2NU on Thursday 25th and Friday 26th July at 7.00pm and Saturday 27th July at 2.30pm and 7.00pm. As this is an open-air production the audience should bring their own chairs or blankets to sit on and are also welcome to bring a picnic. A licensed bar and toilets will be on site. In the event of inclement weather the play will transfer to the Christmas Barn at Cotley Farm. Those with tickets will be advised of this move by email, ensuring a seamless and enjoyable theatre experience for all.

Don’t miss your chance to be part of this exciting production! Get your tickets in advance via the TicketSource website (enter Whimple as the venue). Tickets are priced at £10 for adults, £5 for children, and £20 for a family ticket (two adults and two children). This promises to be another successful and well-attended production that adds to the creativity of this popular local community theatre company directed by Tom Samson.