ent 1 Amateurs last show at the Gaumont.

With the closure of Hanley’s Theatre Royal in 1961, both Stoke, and the North Staffs Amateur Operatic Societies found them-selves without a venue. The North Staffs went to the Queens Theatre, Burslem and Stoke Society to a much larger venue, the Gaumont in Piccadilly Hanley, just across the road from the Royal. The Gaumont opened in 1929, at the height of the silent moves had a large stage, fly-tower, dressing rooms and orchestra pit with an electric organ, creating it as a dual-purpose venue so small acts and other entertainment including The Regent Girls could perform live by flying the screen into the tower. This enabled the Gaumont to stage the odd one-night stand just a few times a year which included some of the best entertainers around the circuit to packed houses of over two thousand.

When the Stoke Operatic Society therefore moved from the Theatre Royal to the Gaumont cinema it realised it had no stage lighting to speak of, no sound equipment and no back cloths or tabs just a deserted stage with no facilities. All had to be brought in before any show could be performed. However, George Lees, vice-chair of Stoke-on-Trent Amateur Operatic Society, persuaded Rank to let them hire the theatre for a whole weeks live production on stage. As a result, the society took the huge decision to move across the road from the Theatre Royal to the Gaumont cinema for the societies first production to be staged there – The Most Happy Fella in 1962. Despite fears and apprehensions about such a momentous decision in the societies history, in the end it was a near sell-out production.

All productions at the Gaumont were successful, both in their staging and the numbers attending for a week’s run proving to Rank that the venue was viable and the facilities backstage sufficient to present a full musical production for a week or more. It had a future!

So successful was the society at this new venue in 1967 for their production of the White Horse Inn, all 2234 seats were sold out for seven performances two weeks prior to the opening night, a record never to be overtaken. In 1969, the society secured the amateur premiere licence to present My Fair Lady, sets were secured direct from The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane’s, production in London. This short account of Stoke at the Gaumont still stands with many personal memories and there is a genuine credit to the many successes of the Stoke Society and with it the assurance in years to come that it could be transformed into a shopping achade. 3 pages and photographs.