The History of FHODS

The Folkestone-Hythe Operatic & Dramatic Society (FHODS) stands as a beacon of theatrical tradition, tracing its origins back to 1902 when it was founded as the Folkestone Dramatic & Music Club. As one of the oldest amateur dramatic societies in the United Kingdom, its story is one of passion, resilience, and an enduring love for the performing arts.

Not many organisations can trace their story back more than a century. FHODS can — and what a story it is.

The Folkestone-Hythe Operatic and Dramatic Society was founded in 1902 as the Folkestone Dramatic & Music Club, making it one of the oldest amateur dramatic societies in the United Kingdom. Over 120 years, it has survived two world wars, outlasted the venues it once called home, and ultimately built a theatre of its own. This is how it happened.

The Early Years

In its earliest days, the Society staged performances at the Woodward Institute, with grander operatic productions finding a home at the Pleasure Gardens Theatre — a beautiful venue that had first opened its doors back in 1851. It was a fitting partnership: a young society with big ambitions and a historic stage to match them.

The two World Wars brought inevitable pauses, but the Society always returned. By 1947, with theatrical life resuming in earnest, FHODS expanded its identity to include Hythe — a nod to the growing reach of the organisation across the region. Operatic productions continued at the Pleasure Gardens, while dramatic works found stages at the Leas Pavilion Theatre and Sandgate’s Chichester Hall.

The Ham Yard Theatre

In 1952, FHODS took a significant step: renting part of the Queen’s Hotel annexe in Church Street and transforming it into a dedicated 57-seat theatre — the Ham Yard Theatre. It was modest in size but mighty in output. Over the next twelve years, the Society staged 114 productions there. By any measure, that’s an extraordinary rate of work, and it speaks to the energy and commitment that has always defined FHODS.

A Home in Sandgate

In 1965, FHODS found a new home in a former church in Sandgate, converting it into The Little Theatre — a characterful 104-seat venue that would serve the Society for the next four decades. It was well-loved, well-used, and for many members, the place where their passion for theatre truly took root.

The closure and demolition of the Pleasure Gardens Theatre in the 1960s presented a challenge for large-scale productions, but FHODS adapted — as it always has. Grand operatic and musical shows moved into cinemas and civic spaces: the Odeon, the Ritz in Hythe, Folkestone’s Town Hall. The show, as they say, went on.

In 1975, the Society launched what would become one of its most cherished traditions: the annual pantomime. Starting at the Leas Pavilion Theatre before moving to the Leas Cliff Hall, panto season brought generations of Folkestone families through the doors and kept them coming back year after year.

A New Ambition

As the new millennium approached, FHODS had a problem that many organisations would envy: it had outgrown its home. The Little Theatre had served the Society well, but the dream of a single venue capable of hosting everything — intimate dramas, full-scale musicals, pantomimes, and everything in between — had been quietly growing for years.

In 2001, that dream became reality. The Garrison Church of St Mark at Shorncliffe — a remarkable Grade II listed building with a history of its own — came onto the market, and FHODS seized the opportunity. The church was purchased, renamed The Tower Theatre, and the long, loving work of transformation began.

Six years later, in 2007, the curtain rose on the first FHODS production at its new home: Oliver! A decade on, the Society marked ten years at the Tower with a new staging of the very same show. Some milestones deserve to be celebrated twice.

Today

FHODS is now one of the very few amateur theatre societies in the UK to own its own venue — a fact that would have seemed extraordinary to those early members gathering at the Woodward Institute in 1902. The Tower Theatre is the culmination of more than a century of ambition, hard work, and an unshakeable belief in the value of live performance.

The Society continues to stage a full programme of productions each year, from West End musicals to classic dramas, nurturing new talent through its Youth Section and welcoming new members at every level — on stage, backstage, and beyond.

Over 120 years on, the passion that started it all is very much alive.