About Us

Our latest news – our first Patron

We are delighted to announce that Clare Presland, Suffolk-born opera singer and “proud Suffolk gal” has agreed to become Irving Stage Company’s first patron.

Our future programme:

Our Spring show is Stepping Out – a heartwarming British comedy by Richard Harris.

Would you like to come and join us? We’d love to meet you!

  • 7 to 11 May 2024 – Stepping Out – by Richard Harris
  • Autumn 2024 – Guys and Dolls – based on the story by Damon Runyon, music and lyrics by Frank Loesser, book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows
Scroll down to find out how you can get involved – you would be very welcome.
The Irving Stage Company is one of the oldest theatre groups in Suffolk and celebrates its 65th anniversary in 2024. It was formed in 1959 as The Irving Club by a group of enthusiasts anxious to present high quality theatre. We now perform primarily at the Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds – the country’s only surviving working Regency playhouse, which marked its 200th anniversary in 2019.

Our History

Paving the way for success...

Since 1959 the company has established a fine record for classical and contemporary theatre in the region. The Irving Youth Company was founded in 1986 and merged with the main company several years later where it still stages up to three productions a year. In 2019 we celebrated our Diamond Anniversary.

The company played a major role in supporting the restoration of the Theatre Royal both during the 1960s and the recent tremendously successful project of 2005-2007.

Priding itself on presenting a wide range of musicals and plays, the theatre group gives opportunities to those who have done it for many years (the oldest member being in his 80s) as well as those who have never trod the boards before.

@IrvingStageCo on Twitter

Our Goals

A diverse range of productions

The Irving Stage Company has a uniquely strong tradition of regularly performing plays, musicals, and fundraising events.

We try and be diverse with our production choices and welcome feedback on these from our membership and audiences. We are also always interested to hear suggestions for future productions so please get in touch with the committee if you think you know of a musical or play that you can see the Irving Stage Company doing well! You can look at a list of the shows that we have performed on our ‘Past Productions’ page.

Recent years have seen us perform musicals including Hello, Dolly!, Me and My Girl, Company, My Fair Lady, Chess and Hairspray, to name but a few.

Plays have included Murder on the Nile and The Unexpected Guest, both by Agatha Christie, Season’s Greetings by Alan Ayckbourn, the stage version of the popular TV comedy ‘Allo ‘Allo, The Crucible by Arthur Miller and A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams.

 

Get Involved

Interested in being part of Irving Stage Company?

We are a lively and friendly company who are delighted to welcome anyone interested in all the opportunities the theatre offers. We are always on the lookout for people to join us – on the stage or (equally important) behind the scenes.  If you are interested in performing, keep any eye out on social media, in the press, or on this website for details of our audtions.

And here are some of the other areas you could get involved with, these are the jobs that make sure our productions run as smoothly as possible.

We would love to hear from you no matter whether you are experienced or have never been in a theatre before! You can find our contact details on the Contact Us page. Or if you prefer, you can use the form below and send us a quick message.

Front of House
selling programmes and raffle tickets as well as greeting audience members during show week.

 

Backstage Crew
helping the show to run as smoothly as possible by moving scenery/curtains between scenes.

 

Props
helping to source the props and making sure they are in the right place at the right time during show week!

 

Hair & Make-Up
perfect for you if you’re interested in hair and/or make-up design for stage and would like to gain some more experience.

Costumes
helping to source costumes and make sure that we have the right “look” on stage.

Get Involved

The Committee

Artistic Director – Sian Couture

Committee 2023/2024

Chairman Julie Merrick

Finance Officer Sian Couture

Business Manager Darian Vomund

Secretary Christian Jenner

Elizabeth William

Julia Foulsham

Simon Spence

Elected at the Annual General Meeting held 6 June 2023