In 1923 Mr James Dudley was the warden of the newly opened adult education centre called The Settlement, which was then based at the site of the Letchworth museum in Norton Way South. Seeing how much local residents enjoyed touring drama groups productio

In 1923 Mr James Dudley was the warden of the newly opened adult education centre called The Settlement, which was then based at the site of the Letchworth museum in Norton Way South. Seeing how much local residents enjoyed touring drama groups' productions, Dudley decided to start his own drama society.

The Settlement Players held their debut performance on Wednesday 19th December, presenting The Little Plays of St Francis, by Laurence Houseman. The show was taken to three venues in three days, beginning at Ashwell Village Hall before moving on to the Co-operative Hall and Fairfield Hospital in Letchworth.

In 1925, The Settlement moved into the Skittles Inn in Nevells Road, Letchworth and the former bowling alley became a theatre with a temporary platform for a stage. The Players now had a home to settle into, and have been steadily improving facilities since then. Records show at least one play has been performed every year since the group began, and often more than that - as was the case during the Second World War.

Never ones to be typecast, The Players have performed everything from comedy to tragedy and attracted audiences to over 230 plays by playwrights, such as William Shakespeare, Agatha Christie, Noel Coward, Anton Chekhov, Willy Russell and Alan Bennett, to name a few.