Published: Wednesday, 7th January, 2009 9:00am

Retro: Remember Reading Rep?

by David Cliffe

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A COLLECTION of theatre and concert programmes from Reading at the time of the Second World War has recently been given to the Library.

It has proved to be most interesting, especially because things happened differently in wartime, which I hadn't known about.

Among them are programmes for various productions by the 45 Club - the amateur dramatic society of the 45th Battalion of the Royal Army Pay Corps, which must have been stationed in or near Reading. Does anyone know where they were, and where their plays were put on? It doesn't tell you on the programmes.

The Pay and Records Choral Society performed in St John's Institute and St Giles's Hall in Reading and in St Anne's Hall and the West Memorial Hall in Caversham. Among the civilian groups, the Young Women's Christian Association put on plays at the Park Institute in Palmer Park Avenue, and the Sainsbury Singers staged Iolanthe there.

The Ballet Rambert, as part of the Holidays at Home scheme, performed at the Caversham Court Open Air Theatre for a week in June. I hope the weather was kind to them! I was surprised to come across programmes for the Reading Repertory Company, performing at the 70 Theatre, in London Street.

Research has shown that before and after the war, they performed in the Palmer Hall in West Street, but it must have been unavailable in war time. The 70 Theatre was at 70 London Street, by kind permission of A. Oliver Bridges, the dentist who owned it. The room at the back seated about 100 people. No 70 is a narrow, four-storey stone building, which became a doctors' surgery in later years. It's on the right-hand side as you go up the hill.

Does anyone now remember the Reading Rep? Call Adam Hewitt on 0118 963 3152.