Sheffield University Drama Society celebrates 50 years of show business

The drama society’s productions were put on hold as a result of Covid until December last year, and this will be their first production since, to commemorate 50 years since their first production in 1972.

Julia Morrison, the current Treasurer of SUDS who has been with the group from the very beginning, said: “With COVID It’s been difficult to get things going again, there was a long period where we couldn’t perform. So we thought let’s have a bit of celebration, let’s look at our successful past and enjoy it and get ready to get going again in the autumn.

“We have a minimal record of everything we’ve ever done, but we took the five decades and chose within it some of the things that were visual, that was most interesting to look at.”

Julia started her journey with the society on stage, in a costume that is now on display as part of the exhibition, organised by Lesley Cottingham, also pictured.

Julia added: “I came to Sheffield for a job in the University Careers Service in 1969. Somebody who had been involved in the staff dramatic society wrote to all the staff and said now the university has provided a theatre in the drama studio, we’d like to get the society moving again.

“I was new to Sheffield and knew I could sew and thought ‘oh, well I could do something on costume maybe’. So I volunteered and here I am 50 years later, still doing costume and other things, it’s been

great fun.

“It started off as being very much focused within the university but right from the beginning we’ve always had links with other amateur groups within the city and we’ve always been grateful to have helpful relationships with them.

"It’s a mix of university and community. [Costume design] has become my major interest, I’m largely self-taught, but I liked learning to make coursetry and just learning the history of what people have looked like in the past, seeing how far you can make modern people look like that.

“I come from the kind of family in Scotland where all the women sewed, you always made your party frocks, you didn’t go to the school dance without having made something that nobody else would have.

“Now, I’m treasurer at the moment, I’ve been chair, I’ve been secretary, I’ve been social secretary. I’m one of those people who joins in and when I see a gap I tend to fill it.”

The exhibit can be seen at the University Drama Studio before the production, ‘Going to Pot’, a light comedy set in France showing from June 29 – July 2.