The Story of St Peter’s Players by Diane Tredinnick, published by the Newlyn Archive this September, is our latest book about Newlyn and its people. We are offering the book at a pre-publication discount of £1 which means that if you buy it before 17/9/2022 it will cost £7. The order form is attached.

Most Friends of the Archive will know that the St Peter’s Players was an amateur dramatic group located in Newlyn, Cornwall which performed at St Peter’s Church Hall for more than half a century. Many of you will have seen the performances and some of you or your family will have been involved acting or backstage. This book contains a great deal of material about the people who were members of the Players as well as the plays that were performed.
It is an important contribution to local history and will be valued by those of us interested in Newlyn as well as those of us who know or are related to the many people that are named. The Players performed 121 plays over the years 1962-2016. These ranged from farce to melodrama and from classics to traditional comedy. They were best known for their comedies, but there were other types of play that received excellent reviews in the papers. ‘Shadow in the Sun’ (November 1986) was an overtly political drama, ‘Cat’s Cradle’ (1989) was a thriller, ‘Deadly Nightcap’ performed in February 1993 as a celebration of the company’s 30th anniversary year was a straight drama.
Over the years, 215, women and children acted for the Players. Nine actors appeared in more than twenty productions. 147 different people were listed in the Production Team, either backstage or Front of House. The many jobs included stage management, creating and building the sets (many of them works of art), wardrobe, continuity, programme design, photography and promotion.