History and Committee
Bawds was founded in 1981 in Cambridge, initially to present productions of restoration plays. It was later decided to broaden the theatrical scope of the company by presenting a wider variety of pieces. Bawds has since staged many plays by classical and contemporary authors. The company has used various types of venues for its productions, ranging from college gardens and studio spaces to traditional proscenium arch theatres. Now recognised as a leading Cambridge amateur dramatic production company, we present three major productions a year and one or two festival or studio productions, some of which have been toured as far as The Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Bawds has no formal membership.
The company is administered by an elected committee; current officers and committee members for 2025 are:
Social / Membership Secretary - Vacancy
Lindsey McCaig
Ted Ridgway Watt
In accordance with the company's rules, all of the directors, actors, and production team members who have been actively involved in productions are invited to attend the Annual General Meeting which will be held in March 2026. Date and venue to be announced.
Some informal photos from this last year's AGM held on 19 March 2024 .................... this year'/s AGM, at the same venue, will be held on Wednesday 11 March, 2026
'We aim to set our programme at least a year in advance and are always happy to receive submissions from experienced directors or those who would like to take their first steps in directing good drama. As a production company, we do not have a fixed membership so our policy (see link above) is to hold open auditions for all our main stage and studio productions to encourage the widest possible pool of talent to come forward.
From time to time, we also consider submissions to direct drama festival productions although approval for these is always subject to the availability of funding. For festival productions only, directors may choose to hold auditions or have the option of assembling their casts and production teams by invitation.
Those interested in directing for the first time may find it useful to 'shadow' a director to see how he or she works. If you would like to become involved in a production in this way, you can approach any of the directors to ask if they are prepared to help. Directors' contact details are shown on the relevant production page.