In 1988 the Parish Council approached Tom Cole and asked him to create a local drama group based at the, back then, new Community Centre.  Tom and his Wife had been involved with the theatre for many years, which included running of the Little Theatre in Stanley Street in Lincoln. With his passion for theatre, Tom was more than happy to accept the offer and became the founder and first President of "The Washingborough and Heighington District Community Players".

     Shortly after their first production of Mother Goose in January 1989 they felt that their name was far too long, and a bit of a mouthful. So after one member took notice of the Penfold, a place used in the past for stray animals from Heighington and Washingborough, located on the junction of Penfold Lane, it was decided that ‘Penfold Players’ would be perfect.

 

     In 2001 The Penfold Players suffered a loss of one of its most loved members, Tom Cole, who sadly passed away.

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     Since their first production The Penfold Players have gone from strength-to-strength, performing their annual Pantomime that has developed over the years, with bigger set design, scenery painting, props, even our very own ‘stitch and bitch’ team that make and alter all of our costumes.  Our sound and lighting team always provide the finishing touches to our shows, working hard throughout each performance to make sure we are seen and heard.

 

     During the summer we like to entertain the community with either a play across two nights or more recently a one-night-only Murder Mystery, whereby the audience are the detectives, and they have to solve the mystery. We have also entered some of these plays in the local Drama Festivals and taken on other amateur dramatic groups from around Lincolnshire.

We've also been involved with some off-site Murder Mystery events held at Gainsborough Old Hall.

 

     We also have our Young Penfold group, which during the summer hold workshops to practice their skills such as dance, acting, and set design, along with everything else that brings a show together. This is then performed in front of friends and family in their annual ‘Young Penfold Showcase’. See our Young Penfold page for more information.

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     Every year we choose a 'Charity of the Year', who will then receive all our donations from the various raffles, bucket donations, and charity merchandise that we sell during our productions. We also get involved with other fundraising and community events such as the Heighington Christmas Market where we like to man the kitchens at the Thomas Garrett Rooms providing mulled wine along with a sing-along, with some of our actors walking around in various costumes providing some entertainment.

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     The Penfold Players would not be where it is now without the continued support from both our audiences and members.

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     If you feel you want to get involved, then please see our Contact page to see all the ways you can get in touch.