Image Credits: Images and screenshots were taken by me, Allison Symes. Some images are created in Book Brush using my images.
On Saturday, 7th June 2025, I was delighted to go along to the Open Evening held by The Chameleon Theatre Company to celebrate their 60th anniversary.
I remain amazed at what fabulous productions they put on when you consider they don’t have the world’s biggest stage. They do make the most of every bit of space at the Ritchie Hall.
Bear in mind too they cover drama, comedy, and pantomimes, all of which have different demands. For the latter, there are more members on stage than there are for some of the dramas The Chameleons put on.
Did you know by the way their mascot is called Ritchie? I didn’t until that Saturday evening either.
Why Hold An Open Evening?
The Open Evening was designed to celebrate their wonderful history, sixty years is a considerable and great achievement, but also to flag up how people can get involved with helping the company, on and off the stage. Volunteers are always wanted whether it is via acting, costume design, sound and lighting and much more. Do contact The Chameleons if this is of interest. See the About The Chameleons link for more on this.
Revisiting the Past
The hall was set up with long tables with dozens of photo albums. All of these contained wonderful photos of past performances. It was also nice to see photo albums again (given I think these have gone the way of the dodo now). But it was fascinating to look through these.
As well as fabulous snaps, there were examples of old programmes, and clippings of reviews of their shows which were in the Eastleigh Weekly News. Seeing those photo albums brought back pleasant memories of (a) going to the chemists to pick up my developed photos and, later, (b) waiting for dear old Bonusprint to send my photos back to me in the post.
There were also displays showing something of the requirements of their costume, lighting and sound “departments”. Each display showed what each “department” does. The idea behind the Open Evening was to encourage people to get involved and to show the many ways this can be done. I could easily have spent all evening reading through everything here.
I have to say the record keeping for the costumes and properties is amazingly well detailed too (and has to be. It makes re-use easier to do if you know where something is and what you have to re-use at all!).
Awards
I also liked seeing the lovely array of trophies which were awarded to The Chameleons for excellence on many occasions. Awards were given for individual actors as well as the company as a whole.
I had to smile at one certificate I spotted which they were awarded for performing at the Plaza in Romsey. Why smile at that?
Simply because the white house next door to the Plaza was once the Symes’ family home and, amongst other members of the family now long gone, my late in-laws lived there for a while.
Congratulations
It was fun to spot familiar faces in the photos. Many have been with The Chameleons for a long time. It was also lovely to chat to some members of the company during the evening.
I remain convinced the best set The Chameleons have built to date was for Blackadder. See my related post for my review on this. Getting the details right for a set takes time but it is worth it. It makes the world of the play more convincing to those of us watching.
It is also hard to overstate the importance of the right sound effects, including music, and how much of a difference that can make to conveying the world of the play successfully. The technical display went into more details about what The Chameleons do here. See the slideshow further up this post for some information on this especially in relation to the sound system.
There was a good turnout, I’m pleased to say, but there were some unexpected visitors to Ritchie Hall. Baby birds were nesting in a box on the outside!
Chandler’s Ford Today wish to say many congratulations to The Chameleons for reaching such a magnificent milestone and hope there are many, many more to come.
The Play Must Go On – The Next Show – Notes From A Small Island
And, of course, the plays must go on. The next show will be Notes From A Small Island based on the book by Bill Bryson. Janet and I are looking forward to going to this. It should be very funny. Do see The Chameleons website for more on this and the screenshot below. Be sure to book early. This is likely to be a popular show, especially given there is a ploughman’s supper to go with it.
Conclusion
I’m a great believer in the creative arts. I feel they define our humanity and there is at least one creative art which suits people. It’s a question of finding which one (or more if lucky) it is for you. For me, obviously, it is creative writing. But I like to cheer on those other forms, such as acting, which I could never do myself.
What have I gained from going to see the shows The Chameleons put on? Simple. I’ve taken in far more stories than I would otherwise have done. I’ve seen them acted out, excellently, for my entertainment and many of their shows have been thought provoking too. I think of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons as an example of that. As a storyteller myself, I appreciate stories in all of their formats (and of course I’m appreciative of whoever wrote the plays in the first place too).
And in the depths of winter, when all around is literally dark and gloomy, what better than a brilliant pantomime staged by our local amateur theatre company to give us all much needed laughter?
So good entertainment then and a lovely mix of styles and moods of play to enjoy. What’s not to like about that?
Congratulations, Chameleons, once again.
Related Posts:-
The Chameleons – Open Evening – 7th June 2025 – Celebrating 60 Years of Drama
The Chameleons: Blackadder Goes Forth – Review by Allison Symes
Review: All My Sons – Excellent Production by Chameleon Theatre Company
Read interviews with Chandler’s Ford writer Allison Symes: Part 1 and Part 2.
Read blog posts by Allison Symes published on Chandler’s Ford Today.
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