1982 PaDS is born…

In 1982 there was another name change to the Painswick Dramatic Society (PaDS), which was launched with Breath of Spring by Peter Coke, directed by Janet Boggon. This was followed in 1983 by Under Milk Wood, directed by Rachel Blundell and in 1984 by The Importance of Being Earnest, directed by Margaret Knight.

1984 also saw a historic first for PaDS when they staged the 30th anniversary production of Salad Days, the 1950s hit musical written by an original Lucy Hyett Painswick Player, Julian Slade. Julian, incidentally remains a member to this day!

Julian Slade, 3rd from left, who wrote "Salad Days" with the cast
(Stroud News & Journal, 12/4/1984)

The success of Salad Days was followed up by a number of other musicals, including an outstanding production of Guys and Dolls in 1985...

... and an enormously popular Old Time Music Hall in 1986.

In all, between 1982 and 1994, PaDS put on 29 productions, including The Importance of Being Earnest, Tom Stoppard's coupling, After Magritte/ The Real Inspector Hound, Noel Coward's Hay Fever, Absent Friends by Alan Ayckbourn and the inimitable Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Towns Womens Guild Dramatic Society Murder Mystery. By the end of the 1980s PaDS had built up to an exhausting 3 - 4 productions a year. Inevitably, something had to give and after On Golden Pond in 1994, PaDS went into 'resting' mode.

PaDS list of productions 1982 - 1994
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