Ron Drew's Theatre Page
One of the leading Groups in South Tyneside is the Westovians whose first production in October 1912 was in the school hall of the Westoe Secondary School. After many moves to accommodate the growing strength and reputation of the Society, they moved to the their present home on the seafront at South Shields adjacent to the Pier Head.................
School teachers, the likes of Mary Llewellen in the book "THE FIFTEEN STREETS" by Catherine Cookson, the South Shields prolific writer of social history, must have played no small part in relieving the stifling boredom and intellectual under-stimulation which was the lot of many children who lived in the local slums. Their imaginative lessons and after school clubs and sports opened up vistas undreamed of by their parents. One such teacher was Miss Annie Thompson the English teacher at Westoe Secondary School in South Shields.
The Westovian Dramatic Society had been formed by the teaching staff of Westoe Secondary School in October 1912 and its production of "NICHOLAS NICKLEBY" was staged in the school hall the following year. The First World War brought activities to a temporary halt, but in 1918 the society was officially reformed.
A meeting was held in the drawing room of Miss Thompson who started the drama group 'The Old Westovians' for ex-pupils. Initially rehearsals were in members' homes with acting areas chalk-marked on drawing room carpets. At regular intervals the public would be invited to witness performances and since then Westovian plays have continued to entertain the folks of Shields. One of their first performances was "A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM" produced in the Westoe School Hall.
Rehearsals continued for their yearly production in various unlikely venues including Parker's Cafe in Ocean Road, South Shields and the old Havelock Inn. Productions were staged at St Michael's Church Hall, The Majestic Theatre (a building in Pier Parade which is now an amusement arcade), St Aidan's Church Hall, the Stanhope Road School Hall, and in their Meeting Rooms and Green Room in Beach Road, ending up today at the Pier Pavilion.
Until 1925 Westovian membership was restricted to ex-pupils of Westoe School, and in 1928 when the name was changed to the Westoe Dramatic Society they performed plays in aid of various charities and membership was broadened. Between 1943 and 1945, during the Second World War, the society played its part in entertaining troops.
Its name has again changed in recent times to reflect its performances of many forms of theatre and is now titled THE WESTOVIAN THEATRE SOCIETY.