ABOUT CATS
Crowthorne Amateur Theatrical Society was founded in 1978 to "provide theatre and theatrical presentations for the people of Crowthorne and the surrounding area." Since then we have prospered, staging many highly successful shows.
The CATS' philosophy is that just because we are amateur it
doesn't mean our shows need be "amateur" too, so we always strive to stage the
best shows possible, in a dedicated and professional way, but also to always
have a good time while we are doing it.
We always stage at least two shows a year: usually
our Spring production is in April or May, and our Pantomime is at the beginning
of December. Between these, we are usually involved (in some way or other) with
the Crowthorne Carnival, as well as often staging a smaller summer show.
Pantomimes are usually great fun for all involved, and our Spring productions
have gained a reputation locally for being ambitious, but highly successful,
and we have a reputation for imaginatively overcoming the many obstacles our
lack of resources impose upon us.
As well as the shows, we have a
number of other dramatic activities. Amongst these are theatre workshops,
demonstrations by various specialists, theatre trips, and so on.....
Last, but by no means least, we are a very social Society. After meetings members often congregate in a local pub, and we have various organised Social events
throughout the year, such as meals out, barbecues, quiz nights, car treasure
hunts, etc.
We always try to ensure everyone is involved and everyone has fun, and that those working behind the scenes are recognised as much as those "in the limelight" on stage. The hardest work (and the most fun) is often had by those working backstage, in the jobs that are not as visible as being on stage but of real importance to any show's success.
Examples of the people involved in putting on a show are
:
Director, Assistant Director, Producer, Costume designers, makers and manager,
Set Designer, Scenery builders, Props designers, makers and manager, Prompt,
Stage Manager, Assistant Stage Manager, Sound designer & engineer, Lighting
designer & engineer, Make-up, Musicians, Front of House manager and assistants, etc,
etc......
So you see, it's not all about acting, and we welcome anyone
who'd like to perform or to turn their hand to any of the jobs above, no matter
how much or how little experience they've had before. Some of our current
"stars" hadn't acted since they left school, and some of our backstage
"experts" hadn't done anything like this ever before! If you're interested in
joining CATS, or simply want a bit more information about us....
send us e-mail and we'll get back to you. 
Click here to download the CATS information sheet in Acrobat format, and follow this link for our Constitution.