EAT | SLEEP | TOUR | REPEAT
Get to Know Us
The Chilterns Theatre Company (also known as Red Kite Theatre) is a registered charity - no. 1191155. We are committed to providing easy access to theatre and drama for a diverse range of participants and audiences. We produce largely small scale productions specialising in tours in the Chilterns region. We take theatre productions of classics and more modern plays to venues that don't normally host theatre productions as well as using more conventional venues.
In 2019, we launched our first season as Red Kite Theatre. Red Kite Theatre is a brand of Chilterns Theatre Company which we now use for our open air tours.
We are passionate about making theatre financially accessible to all, which is why we strive to keep our membership affordable:
Annual Membership - £10
We hate hidden costs and so will always be up front about the production fees and script costs when publishing the audition notices.
The Company’s Story
We were founded in 1940 during the Second World War as 'The Wycombe Musical Entertainment Society' (HWMES), with our first show being Gilbert and Sullivan's 'The Pirates of Penzance'. At first, the Society performed exclusively musicals, and in 1993 was the first amateur musical group to perform at the Wycombe Swan Theatre with 'The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas'.
In 1998, HWMES moved away from solely putting on musicals and we performed our first play, 'The Visit', followed by 'Twelve Angry Men'. Due to this, in 2001 the Society was renamed the 'Wycombe Society for the Performing Arts', or 'WYSPAS'. Shortly after this, we ceased to perform at Wycombe Swan; instead choosing to utilise smaller, community-based spaces in the wider Chiltern area.
2018 saw our final production as WYSPAS - 'A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum' in Hughenden Village Hall. A new committee was then voted in on the promise to move 'WYSPAS' in a new and exciting direction. We have chosen to focus on smaller cast contemporary plays and perform in various different locations across the Chilterns, making modern theatre affordable and accessible to the local community.
