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| 1969 'Love's a Luxury' |
St John’s Players was founded in 1966 when the new Vicar, the Reverend Alec Smith, arrived from the Forest of Dean announcing that the Church of St John the Evangelist was to start a new Drama Group after a short course of instruction. A few Church members including Dorothea Jones and her son Martin decided to give it a go and the first production took place at the Harvest Supper in 1966, it was a one act play called The Diamond Tooth. The group continued with several more one act plays followed by the first full length play A Lady Mislaid directed by Pam Stock in 1968 which ran for 2 nights.
The Players continued throughout the seventies with 2 full length productions a year and increased the performances to 3 nights. Our first drama award was in 1973 winning the Best Actor award for Not Now Darling in the County Council Full Length Play Festival.
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| 1990 'Happy as a Sandbag' |
By the 1980’s performances had increased to 4 nights, and October 1983 saw the last production at the old church hall in Parton Road of Charley’s Aunt. Then in February 1984 the group moved into a newly built hall adjacent to the church with an aptly named play called Moving. The 21st Birthday in 1987 saw the Players win 3 Gloucester Drama Association awards for a Pack of Lies and in addition to the performance at St Johns Hall in April; it spent a week at the Kings theatre in Gloucester in December that same year. We also had best Actor in 1988 for Ten Times Table. By the late 1980’s performances had increased to 5 nights and another stint at the Kings theatre with A Voyage Around My Father.
In 1991 St John’s Players celebrated their Silver Jubilee, with Happy As A Sandbag and in 1992 were awarded South West Area Regional award for Excellence for the production of Noises Off. The players subsequently moved on to doing three productions a year, interspersing the usual dramatic productions with One Act Plays, Old Time Music Halls, Anthologies, a Pantomime and even a bit of Shakespeare.
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| Stepping Out - March 2007 |
The millennium saw a best Actress award for Shadows in the Gloucestershire Drama Association One Act Play Festival followed by a success in the Full Length Play Festival in 2003 gaining an award for best set design for Lord Arthur Saville’s Crime.
2006 saw the players start their 40th Anniversary year with Pygmalion winning awards for Best Supporting Actor and runner up for Best Play. This anniversary year was celebrated with a special dinner and a wonderful reunion party for all members and former members and we were particularly pleased when former member Dame Rennie Fritchie DBE agreed to became our Patron. We are pleased to say that Dorothea & Martin Jones who were founding members and Pam Stock, the director of the first full length, play are all still active members.
The group continues to put on high quality productions to good audiences in Churchdown, most recently winning Gloucestershire Drama Association awards for Best Actress, Best Director & Best Play for Stepping Out in 2007. | 
