I am sure that many of you will be curious about the name “QT Theatre Group”, I know I was. It was not, as has been suggested, originally Queniborough Theatre Group – much more exciting than that! The Group was originally formed in 1953 as part of a Youth Club at Birstall Methodist Church. In those days drama productions were not recognised as part of the church, so the group was formed “on the Q.T.”, hence the name. (Although this is only rumour, I have been told that the Vicar used to read the scripts to make sure that they were ‘appropriate’; this may not be true but I do hope that it is!) It was agreed that, if any profit was made from the productions, it would always be given to charity and over the years many thousands of pounds have been donated to various charities, mostly these days to SARIC.
As the group grew, larger stages were needed for the more involved productions so, in 1977, the Q.T.s moved to Wreake Valley College Theatre where two plays were performed each year. In 1990, in conjunction with Syston and District Operatic Society, the Group took over the lease of the Old Methodist Chapel in Chapel Street, Syston, firstly using it for rehearsals and occasional social evenings, but now using it as the permanent venue for all our plays.