The History of Arcade Players

In the late 1930s, with the threat of war on the horizon, Louis and Connie Pattison, with generous support from the Long Eaton Co-operative Society, founded a choir made up entirely of Co-op members. They performed regularly at the Co-op-owned People’s Hall in Long Eaton, and to add variety, began incorporating short sketches and one-act plays into their concerts.

From these humble beginnings, the Arcade Players were born.

Rehearsals took place in a room above the Co-op Arcade in the town marketplace, and for the first 39 years, all productions were staged at the People’s Hall. After a brief but successful stint at the local Baptist Hall, the group made a permanent move in 1985 to the Duchess Theatre at the Chatsworth Centre. Their first production in the new venue was Season’s Greetings by Alan Ayckbourn.

Over the decades, the Arcade Players have grown in both reputation and ability. It’s not unusual for productions to draw audiences of more than 500 people.

Since 1939, the group has been proud to enjoy the continued support of the Co-operative Group, Central & Eastern Region. Today, the Arcade Players present three full-length plays each season – a tradition that has remained largely unchanged since our very first performance.