Mads Theatre
Tom Grieve, Cinema Editor
A theatre that can trace its origins back to 1947, Macclesfield Amateur Dramatics Society (or MADS) was established with the principle that it “belonged to the townspeople and was independent of any other organisation”. That’s how first Secretary Tom Bancroft put it anyway, as nine people gathered in the back of a butcher’s shop to set up a theatre that is still welcoming punters some seventy-plus years later.
Indeed, MADS Little Theatre hasn’t looked back since its first production of ‘See How They Run’ in 1948. There was a change of venue in 1954, and much evolution of the current space, but today MADS owns the building it sits in. Renovations in the early 1980s added tiered seating and a proscenium arch, while more recent developments moved the downstairs wardrobe department and added a bar and lounge — essential developments, you’ll agree.
Recent developments moved the downstairs wardrobe department and added a bar and lounge
MADS has celebrated its Golden and Diamond Jubilees since its reopening in 1984, hosting some 250 main season productions alongside one acts, studio productions and festival entries. Recent years have seen stagings of the likes of Patrick Hamilton’s en vogue thriller ‘Gaslight’ and Moira Buffini’s dark comedy ‘Dinner’.
You can head over to the listings page to see what is coming up soon, but it is fair to say that MADS continues in its mission to provide for the townspeople of Macclesfield. From classics, to comedies and literary-inspired plays, to pantomime and contemporary work, the Lord Street theatre works hard to provide the town with broad variety and a quality night out.
