The Torbay Dramatic Society was founded in 1952 by Mrs Clyde Tichener. The group initially confined themselves to play readings, which were held at various members houses. Within a year they felt sufficiently confident to demonstrate their abilities to the public.
Torbay Dramatic Society’s first play was Corinth House, produced by Arthur Boswell (who also acted in it), which was performed at the old Torbay Hall located on the corner of Rock Isle Road.
Torbay Dramatic Society’s early plays included the following:
◾ Ladies in Retirement – which was restaged in 2012 to mark the theatre’s 60th Jubilee
◾ Miranda
◾ The Linden Tree
◾ Home at Seven
◾ Flare Path
Torbay Dramatic Society moved to its current location at the Torbay Community Hall, where the society now has its own clubrooms, in the mid 1970s.
Source: Torbay Historical Society. (2008). … and then came the bridge, A History of Long Bay and Torbay. (M. Grey, & J. Sturm, Eds.) Auckland, New Zealand: Pindar NZ