An infusion of new blood helped bring PaDS out of hibernation in August 1997 with Acting Funny, an ad hoc, but enthusiastic, revue in Painswick's St Mary's Church Rooms. This was followed up for Christmas 1997 by a return to the Painswick Institute for a suitably 'spirited' but somewhat over-ambitious production of A Christmas Carol. This had its fair share of those hairy, scary moments which make Am Dram so much 'fun'. The reason (for example) for the bizarrely surreal lighting effects during the opening night was that no-one could find the lighting box key until about two minutes before the start!

In 1998, buoyed up with these two successes(!) and a lot of enthusiasm, 'New' PaDS was formally launched with a (quite extraordinary) AGM in February. An extract from the Painswick Beacon report captures the mood:

The first PADS AGM in three years rapidly transformed itself into a two act drama of suspense and intrigue. It all began with a splendidly logical point of order to the effect that the AGM wasn't actually happening.
- How do you mean?
- Because it's neither Annual nor General.
- Why not?
- Because it's been more than a year since the last one and there hasn't been a general notice to existing members
- What existing members?
- The existing members that existed when PADS last existed.
- When was that?
- Three years ago
- How do you know they're still members?
- Because they've paid their subscriptions
- When?
- Three years ago
- How much are the subscriptions?
- er...well...nothing.
- Why not?
- Because subscriptions were abolished.
- When?
- Three years ago.
And so on...
Eventually, it was decided that since this was clearly a non-meeting, the assembled non-members should elect a non-committee (a sort of acting committee, so to speak) until the end of the PaDS year which (it turns out) is June.

Despite the uncertainty, 1998 saw three productions all directed by Jack Burgess. First was another revue, April Foolery, which gave a lot of opportunity for those new to AmDram to dip a toe into the water, almost literally in the Sinking of the Titanic sketch (no mean achievement in the Church Rooms!)

The watery theme continued in July when, to accompany the annual Painswick Victorian Market Day, PaDS gave rain-swept al fresco productions of two Victorian Melodramas, One Month To Pay and The Drunkard’s Wife.

This set a precedence for us 'doing something for Victorian Market Day' and has produced such idiocies as the 'Quiponitron Automatic Joke Machine'...

... and a What The Butler Saw Machine as well as providing Queen Victoria & John Brown and Sherlock Holmes & Dr. Watson to open it.

1998 was rounded off by an ambitious and largely successful in-the-round stab at Alan Ayckbourn's Season's Greetings, in December.

In May 1999, Kevin Parker made his directing debut with the UK premiere(!) of the curious Agatha Crispie, a murder mystery spoof by one Cenarth Fox.

Although not the greatest play in the world, it did help to establish PaDS reputation for high production values, which continued in December with Ayckbourn's Absurd Person Singular directed by Jack Burgess.

As well as some first class acting, the production featured three superb, fully fitted kitchens as sets, prompting suggestions for an alternative career for the techies responsible, Jacek Wolowiec,Tony Gibson and Russ Herbert!

PaDS list of productions 1982 - 1999
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