The Soberton Players

The Soberton Players are based in the villages of Soberton and Newtown, in the picturesque Meon Valley between Portsmouth and Southampton. Many of the players live locally, but our ranks are often swelled by talent from further afield, as well as by former residents who have left the area - and all receive a very warm welcome from this friendly group.

November Production - Cinderella
The casting meeting for our next production, Cinderella the Pantomime, will be on Monday 7th July at 7.30pm in Soberton Village Hall.
Please come along and make this a very special production. There are many ways to get involved, on or off stage, so if you would like to be included and cannot make the meeting, please contact Susan Hyland on 01489 878742 or email sobertonplayers@yahoo.co.uk.
Junior players must be aged 8 or over and we have no upper age limit for the more senior amongst us, so if you have ever thought you might like to join us, now is the time!
We urgently need more help with sound and lighting and are actively looking for an assistant technical director. This would be an ideal role for a keen drama or theatre studies student to get some practical experience. Please contact Susan, details above.
Cinderella the Pantomime will be directed by Richard Smith and produced by Susan Hyland. Performances are 27th to 29th November, 2008. Rehearsals start in September and will be on Monday and Thursday evenings in Soberton Village Hall. e-mail

Review of The Art of Coarse Acting – April 2008

In April the Soberton Players played host to the inept Great Old and New Amateur Dramatic Society, who presented the Art of Coarse Acting which was produced by Philomena Bergin. Four one-act plays, each wittily satirising a different dramatic genre and directed by different members of the Players, gave the ensemble a chance to show off their talents.

The audience responded warmly to the Jane Austen pastiche, Pride at Southanger Park, directed by Tricia Jones, with Beverley Lambert and Joanna Hyland convincing as Lady Fanny Bottomley and her niece Cicely Chichester. Cecily, in love with Marcus d’Angelo, played for all it was worth by the leering Kyle Fraser, is to be married off to the hopeless, witless William Squires, played by Bob Musselwhite. Caroline Barfoot was his manipulative mother, Duncan Ward the aristocratic Sir Thomas Bottomley who wishes to see his niece married to Squires. But the piece was stolen by Richard Smith, playing a last-minute replacement for the Reverend Giles Henry. Not having time to learn his lines, he reads them from his “Bible” with comic results. The play then falls apart when Bottomley seizes the Reverend Henry’s Bible to prop up his chair, at the same time snatching the only source of his lines. This was played with wonderful comic timing by Richard Smith, much to the amusement of the audience.

The Cherry Sisters, directed by Nigel Jones, was a witty satire on the plays of Checkhov. Caroline Barfoot and Sharron Canning played Basha and Gnash; Richard Smith was Captain Sodov; Bob Musselwhite was Footrotski; Kyle Fraser the Stationmaster; Nigel Jones the Schoolmaster and Alaine Simpson Veruka. Ewart Wood was marvellous as Piles the servant, who struggled frantically with the tea which poured endlessly from a samovar. But the actor who got the biggest laughs was Tricia Jones as Babushka. She didn’t have a single word to say, but conveyed much through sidelong looks and evil smiles.

In the second half, Ewart Wood directed Streuth, a spoof on the classic whodunit which featured Susan Hyland, Kyle Fraser, Nigel Jones, Jeremy Miles, Sharron Canning, Bob Musselwhite and Richard Smith. But some of the best lines belonged to Hugh Pringle who, as the incompetent inspector with a wonderful line in wooden gesticulation, got some of the biggest laughs. As the play unfolds it becomes increasingly incomprehensible and finally lapses into an endless repetition of the same lines.

The evening closed with Present Slaughter, a wonderful Noel Coward pastiche directed by Richard Smith. Nigel Jones played the unbelievably suave Oliver and Susan Hyland was Coward-perfect as Lavinia. Oliver tries to rekindle the embersof an old affair with Lavinia, but succeeds only in cutting himself fatally as he stumbles against a table laden with drinks, sending shards of broken glass in all directions. But the play must go on and Oliver struggles to utter his lines, whilst bleeding melodramatically to death, and the other members of the cast behave as if nothing has happened. Apart, that is, from Beverley Lambert as Mimi, who faints quite spectacularly centre stage at the sight of all the gore and is hauled unceremoniously away by Ewart Wood as Antoine. Lavinia is determined not to let a little – well actually a frighteningly large amount – of blood get in the way of the drama ad is furious that Oliver is ruining her great moment on stage. The curtain falls on the prostrate Nigel Jones and the furious, fuming Susan Hyland. I’m not sure whether Noel Coward would have appreciated this small masterpiece, but the audience loved it.

This evening of high farce and broad humour couldn’t have been more different from the Christmas production of the Wizard of Oz, but both were ambitious productions. It takes real commitment from the actors, stage crew, wardrobe, directors, producers and many more besides to bring all this to life. The success of these productions is a reflection of the strong community we’re lucky enough to live in. These folks are seriously talented and they deserve your attention and support. Book your tickets for Cinderella at Christmas before it’s too late.

Review of The Wizard of OZ – November 2007

Once again Soberton Players produced another wonderful show, despite a somewhat uncertain start. Nigel Jones who originally planned to direct had to pull out suddenly when his wife, Tricia, was taken ill. Fortunately for the Players, the gallant Richard Smith stepped in literally at the last minute to make his directorial debut. He did a marvellous job and we all hope he will do more in the future. Produced and designed by Susan Hyland with her usual enthusiasm and creative flair the show was a splendid, colourful, musical jaunt to the magical land of Oz.

Dorothy was played beautifully by Susie Canning who made the part her own, her acting and lovely singing voice were spot on, on a par with Judy Garland herself! The Lion, The Scarecrow and the Tin Man were played by the lovely Caroline Barfoot, Kyle Fraser and Mark Farrell respectively. They worked very well together and made an hilarious comedy team and a competent musical trio. The Wicked Witch, played by Mark Squires, terrified audiences at each performance with her evil laughter and wonderfully wicked ways. Her Nemesis, Glinda the Good Witch was delightfully played by the pink and sparkling Sharron Canning.

The Musical Director, Sylvia Davis, worked tremendously hard and coaxed the best from the cast. The familiar musical numbers were very well done. Musically the Players have come on in leaps and bounds over the last few years and this is in large part due to Sylvia’s efforts. The special effects and lighting were excellent and Richard Baker deserves a special mention for his technical skills and imaginative ideas. Sue Dewhirst stepped very ably into the breach to take over the choreography for Tricia, assisted by Kayleigh Wells.

The Junior Players were well rehearsed and performed extremely well as Munchkins and Winkies. The Trees were also worth a special mention and added some real humour and colour to the show. All in all the show was a great success and very entertaining. This was a big cast and crew and unfortunately there are too many talented people to mention individually. Rest assured their efforts -from make up to costumes - didn’t go unnoticed,

We always welcome new members - both on stage and backstage.

For more information or ticket enquiries contact us by email.

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How to Find Us!

Soberton Players use two venues through out the year:
Soberton Village Hall & The Guide Hut.

For both locations take the A32 out of Fareham heading towards Wickham.
At Wickham roundabout there is a Shell Petrol Station take the second exit off the roundabout and follow the A32 through Wickham and on towards Alton.
You will pass a Car Showroom on the left hand side and the Roebuck Pub shortly after.

If you are heading for the GUIDE HUT take the next right turn signposted for Soberton and you will be on Heath Road. Follow Heath Road to the recreation ground. The Guide Hut is on the recreation ground behind the hedge.

WATCH OUT FOR THE DITCHES BY THE SIDE OF THE ROAD.

Parking is on the Road (bring a torch as there are no street lights out here!)

To reach the Village Hall, click here for website carry on along the A32 for about another 2 miles when you should come up to a set of crossroads with a sign for the WHITE LION PUB. Take this right turn and follow Cutts Arch. At its end you turn right and pass the WHITE LION PUB on your right hand side. You are now on School Hill and the Village Hall is on your left hand side at the next junction.

Technical Help Sought

We urgently need to expand on our technical expertise and would welcome any assistance with sound or lighting. Whilst we have a small number of people who manage this very important aspect of productions we would very much like to increase the number of people who we can call on. Contact Susan Hyland 01489 878724 or email.

Past Productions