CORONAVIRUS UPDATE:

A message from our Chairman:

We regret to announce that we shall be unable to present our annual pantomime in January 2021. This has been a staple of the Southbourne festive and new year season since 1977, and we have enjoyed providing family entertainment to many thousands of local residents down the years. While this has been a regrettable decision, we are led by ongoing government guidelines around social distancing and public health advice surrounding the Coronavirus pandemic, which sadly make such public gatherings an unrealistic proposition at present.

This is a challenging time for local amateur theatre, as many drama groups have had to put productions on hold since March. We will continue to monitor governmental guidelines and look forward to returning to “business as usual” as soon as it is safe and practical to do so.

Theatre remains a hugely important artistic endeavour, of which young and old alike are encouraged to take an active interest in. Pantomime plays an important role in local community engagement, and we look forward to welcoming you back to The De La Salle Theatre (which is currently undergoing impressive renovation work) as soon as we can, hopefully well in time for another trip to Panto Land in January 2022.

John

Meet the Director

Director

John Sivewright

John has been a member of ASDS since he was just 15, first appearing as John Darling in 'Peter Pan'. Since then he has gone on to play many varied roles, from a Kangeroo to a gangster, and from an OAP to a 10-year-old boy! He has also directed for the Society, notably our 2018 pantomime 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'. John has always enjoyed being a member of ASDS due to the friendly, welcoming atmosphere and the high standards the Society sets for itself.