Is it the final curtain for amateur theatre in Hampshire?

But next month the curtain is set to come down on the amateur dramatics group, better known as CATS, for good.

They already had to abandon their plans to put on Joe Orton’s What the Butler Saw earlier this year, having not been able to find anywhere to stage it.

And the forthcoming AGM will see current chairman Stuart Ardern resign – with no sign of anyone stepping into the breach.

“We have pretty much reached the end of our life expectancy,” said Stuart.

“There aren’t enough people to run the shows and the society. We’ve run out of administrators.

“I will stand down as chairman in September and unless we have anyone to take it over, we will close down. The society has been going for some 20 years and we’ve put on some great shows but these things run their course.”

Richard Barnett, the group’s secretary, added: “It’s very sad but we are resigned to it. It’s supposed to be fun and when you are worried about if there are going to be enough people to take part, even enough actors, it stops being fun.”

He added that the group may have become a victim of its own success, growing from small charity productions in church halls to larger, more expensive shows at arts venues that have been costly and required more organisation.

The youth section of the group is going to continue while the adult section is going to be ‘dormant’ “ready to rise like a phoenix from the ashes if someone decides to take it on” as Richard says.

But CATS isn’t the only local amateur group that is struggling.

Clare Bromley, honorary secretary of Nomads amateur drama society in Woodley near Romsey warned in June that the group could be forced to close if new recruits weren’t found soon.

And despite a recruitment drive, the situation hasn’t improved.

The group has been staging performances at Woodley for almost 40 years.

But while at one point the group had more than 30 members, there are now fewer than ten people running the society.

Nomads at Romsey Carnival

“The problem is, getting one or two people to join doesn’t really help, as it means we would need everybody – old and new members alike – to put on a production,” Clare added.

Even groups that aren’t facing imminent closure are struggling to keep up their numbers.

Mark Barton-Leigh, chairman of the Southampton Musical Society said that while the group used to have 80 to 100 members, it now has around 40.

“We’ve seen a drop off over the last 15 years or so,” he said, adding that like all groups, they don’t have enough men who want to take part.

“It might be because people have too many different things to do in their spare time now, or it could have been because musicals weren’t so fashionable – although they are making a comeback, so that may be helping numbers.”

And he says that television talent shows have helped numbers: “Everyone thinks they can be a star.”

He added that, while the group would like to recruit new members, it isn’t lack of members but the cost of staging productions that is the group’s biggest threat.

“The cost of putting on shows is becoming an increasing problem,” he said.

“It costs us around £26,000 to stage a production.

It becomes a h o r r i b l e downward cycle – you have to move to a smaller venue so audience numbers drop and your income drops.”

But the group has got a revue show coming up, Big Screen to Broadway, at Theatre Royal Winchester on September 6 and 7. Fred Brazier, secretary of the Hamble Players, agrees that numbers are an issue – particularly numbers of men – and the group is planning a recruitment drive. But the group has just had a very successful production of Calendar Girls, which saw a profit of more than £2,000 and enabled them to make a donation of £1200 to Cancer Research UK.

“We’re not in any danger for at least three to four years,” said Fred.

“One of our threats is that the cost of postage has increased so much we can’t afford it, so we are turning to social media instead,” he added.

“Another problem is that people don’t seem to want to go and watch a show on a Saturday night, as that’s when all the reality television is on.”

Terry Hammond, who is helping to run Hamble Players’ recruitment drives, wonders if the current economic climate is affecting the number of people joining amateur groups.

“It may be that in this climate people are working longer hours and working in the evenings, so they don’t have time to come along to a theatre group,” he said.

Not everyone is struggling.

Spokespeople for Ringwood Musical and Dramatic Society, Curdridge Amateur Drama Group, Debut Theatre and Warsash Theatre Club all said that membership wasn’t a particular issue – although they would all like to recruit more men.

Ringwood Musical and Dramatic Society's Titanic, the Musical

And even Romsey Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society, aka RAODS, one of the largest groups in the area which has its own home, the Plaza Theatre in Romsey, is always keen to recruit new members.

“Actor Mark McGann (star of The Hanging Gale and The Grand) is our patron and Ian McKellen (star of the Lord of the Rings and X Men films) came to visit us and that has helped boost our numbers,” said Neil Gwinne, chairman of the group.

Acting great Sir Ian McKellen visited RAODS and gave them a recruitment boost

“We had a recruitment drive at the beginning of the year and went from having around 300 members to 400.

“We are as well-off for members as we have been since the 80s, but we have to make sure we keep our membership up.”

Neil says that having a very visible permanent home at the Plaza Theatre helps attract members – but it also means they need a lot of members to cover their costs.

“A big issue for us, like all amateur groups, is not having enough men in the 20 to 50 age group,” he added.

“I’ve never known any a m a t e u r groups not to be in that position.

“It is a constant battle to keep membership up.

“It may be that there are a lot of other activities for people to do and despite the current economic situation, people have more money to spend on their hobbies than they did 20 years ago, whereas amateur theatre is a very cheap hobby.”

He added that he feels there may be too many groups in the area.

“It has been a feature of amateur theatre forever for groups to set up and dissolve.

Some groups have a lifetime because they are set up and run by enthusiastic individuals and there may not be the people to keep it going.”

But while Neil may have an eye to securing the future of the group, for now it is going very strong.

Next week’s run of Les Miserables by the youth section has sold out, meaning almost 900 people will see the show, and tickets are selling for Jane Eyre next month. “I’d say to anyone it’s a brilliant pastime – join a group!” Neil enthused.

While some amateur theatre groups in the area may have had their time, there are still plenty going strong and they continue to be able to pull in sellout audiences.

The show, it seems, will go on for some time yet.

The Daily Echo supports local amateur theatre through our Curtain Call weekly section in Your Entertainment on a Friday, regularly reviewing shows and the prestigious annual Curtain Call Awards. For more information visit dailyecho.co.uk/leisure/stage/ curtaincall/​