In the Beginning...by Mags Fisher

Horsham Amateur Operatic & Dramatic Society was conceived out of the enthusiasm of folk attending a Gilbert and Sullivan evening class at Horsham Night School. In 1954 six people chipped in with £1 each to stage "The Desert Song". No bills could be paid until after the show had finished, but with £6 in the kitty they decided to break away from G & S and put on a different type of musical, armed with their dedication and total commitment to the idea. Their love of the theatre gave them the confidence to stage the very first 'HAODS' production. The show was a success, and so began our exhausting but joyful path through the next 43 years.

It was a horrendous wrench for HAODS when news broke of the impending death of the old Capitol Theatre in London Road, to make room for new shops. How could anyone equate our real live theatre with a shop we thought. In true thespian style, we sported banners around the Carfax, seeking local support for the future of the arts and theatre in our beloved Horsham.

The local Council were aware of HAODS' fervent ardour to retain live entertainment in our town, and that of other local organisations. They promised the conversion of the old Ritz cinema in North Street into a comprehensive cinema and theatre - but could we trust them - if they raised the old theatre to the ground, would they really do what they said?

They did - they evolved Horsham Arts Centre. It was not without pain. It is always difficult to find experienced specialists one can afford when creating a new environment, and the local groups who used the old local theatre were very helpful in ensuring that the new Horsham Arts Centre met most of the essential criteria by sharing our 30 years of treading the boards, with the current Council folk responsible for the exciting new concept for Horsham.

Our last musical at the old Capitol Theatre was "The Wizard of Oz" in 1982, followed by a joint production involving many local performers called "Those Capitol Years".

What a terrible moment it was leaving the theatre that night. It is true that the narrow staircase from one ladies dressing room to another was steep and dangerous, that there was a chronic shortage of dressing space for everyone, that the stage area didn't have a full height ceiling, so the drapes, etc. had to be shortened; but it was a theatre and we were extremely distressed to see it go. The reason for its demise was to make way for the new shopping precinct.