The Society was founded by Mr. William
Jenkins as a Welsh Drama Society in 1909. The original
members of the Society met at the Park View Inn, Trecynon and
were known as the Trecynon Amateur Dramatic Society. In
these early days most of the work was performed for charities
of various kinds.
After the First World War, the Society entered the Competitive
arena, with such success that by 1930 the balance in the
bank had amounted to £400. With this amount available
the Executive Committee felt that it was time to secure a
home of their own. This was made possible in 1930 when Sir
D.R. Llewellyn made a gift of an old engine house and the
plot of ground on which it stands to the society. Its possible
use as a theatre had been brought to his attention by the
chairman of the committee Mr. Tom Phillips. Following this
magnificent gesture, work on the conversion into a Little
Theatre, with a seating capacity of 318, proceeded later
in 1930. The Theatre was formally opened by Miss Elizabeth
Llewellyn, with the first performance of 'A Woman of Compassion'
by Florence Howell, on the 19th February, 1931. It was at
this time that the Society became known as the Aberdare Little
Theatre Company and they became the first Amateur Dramatic
Society in Great Britain to privately own a Little Theatre.
In the years immediately after it's opening the Company
performed eight plays a season and its membership rose from
313 in 1931 to 1,250 by the fifth season. It also continued
to be highly successful in the competitive area, reaching
the London final of the British drama League's One Act Play
Competition a historic three times. First success was in
1928, then in 1948, winning the Lord Howard de Walton trophy
and finally in 1951.
Right: The formal opening by Miss Elizabeth Llewellyn
Other notable achievements by the Company include being
the first amateur dramatic society to appear on television
(1948) and the first in Wales to appear at the Edinburgh
Festival (1950). In 1942 the Company temporarily lost its
home when the Little Theatre was requisitioned as a food
depot by the Ministry of Food, during which time many of
their productions took place at the Coliseum, Trecynon. The
Company was not to fully return to the Little Theatre until
1958. They quickly settled back in and following the refurbishment
of the theatre continued to produce quality shows.
Left: The Little Theatre Circa 1959
The years since their return have seen some difficult
times possibly caused by the popularity of the cinema and
television. Despite this, support for the Little Theatre
was shown in 1978 following a fire which caused extensive
damage to the building. An appeal was launched which proved
successful, raising sufficient funds to allow the Theatre
to reopen in 1979. Since then ongoing upgrades and maintenance
has enhanced the building and the Aberdare Little Theatre
Company has maintained its high standards, continuing to
produce highly successful shows which are well supported
by the local community.
