Key Worthing company faces box office battle after the misery of the pandemic

For the moment, the effects of the pandemic have left them unable to put on a full-scale show. Instead they are offering a top-quality variety showcase, knowing that they will need to sell 91 per cent of the tickets if they are going to return to a full-scale production next year. And with the cost of living crisis biting, chairman Victoria Emerson knows it is a big ask.

One Show More will run from Friday to Sunday, November 11-13 at the Connaught Theatre, Worthing, featuring numbers from shows including Evita, The Book of Mormon, Guys and Dolls, Witches of Eastwick, 42nd Street, Chicago, Les Miserables, Come from Away and many more. https://www.wmcs.org.uk/upcoming-productions/

“Things are tough,” Victoria said. “The pandemic hit our society like many other arts groups and theatre groups across the country very, very hard. 2020 was the first time that we hadn’t done a show since the war and we weren't able to do a show in 2021 either. The first show back was Guys & Dolls in the spring. It went very well but the audiences were not the usual volume that we would get. It was obvious the audience confidence was just not there. People were not going out. We did a lot of donating of tickets to various charities and that had a good effect helping the charities but it also meant that audiences did build a bit towards the end, and the people that did come were overwhelmed by the quality of the show but sadly it didn't fill. We made a significant loss. And it has left us in the position where we simply cannot afford to put on a full-scale production right now. And after nearly 90 years that's very sad. But everyone rallied around. Mandy Chapman has donated her time to direct for us and Nigel Newman has donated his time to be musical director and we have put on what is going to be a fantastic showcase of the very best of WMCS that will show people the very high quality that we have got, drawing on lots of people's favourite musicals. And the lovely thing is that it's really brought the society together. Everyone is supporting each other and really working together brilliantly. We've got a cast of more than 60 people. It is not the membership that is the problem at all. We have a fantastic membership. The problem is finding audiences. And the point is now that we need to sell tickets. If we don't sell enough tickets we won't be able to put on a spring production.”

Victoria is lining up a big-name show for next year which is sure to appeal and will certainly be the amateur stage debut in the area, but first the company needs to sell 91 per cent of their tickets at the showcase: “It's going to be a lovely uplifting show. The numbers are absolutely sensational and the quality is incredibly high. I was so overwhelmed with emotion when I was watching. It is about showing people what a great society we have got and it is something that Worthing should be proud of and that we should all remember that amdram is the grassroots for so much in the business really.” If they don't get the 91 per cent they will have to start thinking about cutting costs; significantly lower than that then perhaps the company will have to look again at the kinds of shows that it does and maybe even move venue.