Waiting in the Wings – Cast, Doncaster

Writer: Chris O’Connor

Co-Directors: James Blakey, Simon Jones

It was a splendid day at Doncaster’s Cast Theatre. In the theatre there were two performances of Waiting in the Wings by Doncaster People’s Theatre while in the foyer area stands celebrating the area’s amateur companies jostled for space alongside an exhibition celebrating Doncaster’s theatre history and showing a film featuring current participants. Outside in Sir Nigel Gresley Square, probably unrelated, a fair and rock concert added to the jollity.

The occasion was the 250th anniversary of the opening of Doncaster’s first theatre and Doncaster People’s Theatre meant to celebrate it in no uncertain style, with a stage show involving over 30 members and a similar number in two dance squads and the tremendous Citizens of the World Drummers.

The nature of Doncaster People’s Theatre makes this review extremely difficult to write. It is made up of enthusiastic members of all ages and backgrounds, with no disability a bar to joining. Thus it is an open community activity, shared with friends, family and neighbours in a joyous 80 minutes, but clearly the performance is not fault-free and not always capable of holding a neutral’s attention.

James Blakey and Simon Jones deploy their vast forces skilfully, but Chris O’Connor’s script seemed oddly unbalanced, as well as appearing to merge World Wars 1 and 2. The production style involved miked narration, often conversationally passed around, and brief acted scenes from the past. An excellent trio contributed an understated accompaniment throughout.

O’Connor began his story over 100 years before the first theatre in Doncaster, with cast members dressed up as strolling players for run-ins with the law, but soon settled on the character of Tate Wilkinson, the father of Yorkshire theatre who was the first licensee of the Theatre as part of his Northern circuit. Wilkinson was neatly impersonated by a woman – a perfect fit for the mood of the occasion.

Then it all became somewhat random. Attention switched to 18th and 19th century celebrities who visited Doncaster, from Sarah Siddons to the black American actor Ira Aldridge, both vividly played. The world wars brought occasion for a dance troupe, followed shortly after by a burlesque show, and then the personal and contemporary took over splendidly, cast members sharing their involvement in theatre. And finally, the afternoon came to a moving end – after the drummers had raised the temperature – with a woman reading questions about the future, cleverly timed in accord with the music of trio and company. The final message was of community.

Reviewed on 5 September 2026