The printed programmes provided to audiences have advanced over the years and more recently have of course, been produced on a computer. The latest system uses Adobe Acrobat PDF format which is very suitable for viewing via a website. (All that is needed is the freely available Adobe Acrobat Reader programme.)

One of these programmes ("Bedroom Farce") PDF file has been made available and can be viewed by clicking on a link on the programme cast page. It is to the right of the usual link to "[Photograhs]"

It is possible, with a bit of effort, to create PDF files by scanning printed material and presenting them as images. Although not practicable to do this for the almost two hundred printed programmes we have available, it was thought reasonable to do so for a few programmes that show their development through the years.

The first programmes were typed on sheets of 8" x 6 1/2" (or 10") coloured paper with the invitation/ticket attached. As an example you can see the programme for the very first production in February 1948, "School For Scandal".

In May 1963 a cover with comedy & tragedy masks was introduced. See "Emma". This was superseded by a more formal cover in November 1964 "Mansfield Park". Programmes then changed little except that in February 1990, covers with a picture drawn by Beryl Orders became the norm. See "Hans Andersen" cover.

From February 1994 the masters were produced on a word processor but the layout remained the same with the cover still a separate sheet enclosing the programme. See "Sweeney Todd". Starting with "Confusions" (May 2004) the cover picture was scanned and became part of the word processor file. This made it easy to use the other, previously blank, "pages". Occasionally photographs were included in the programme. See "After September".

The first change in covers was October, 2009. See "Jane Eyre" cover. This was followed immediately ("Curtain Up on Murder") by full production in PDF format and printed in colour. See "Bedroom Farce".

We will, when possible, include this feature for future programmes.