Playgoers of Lethbridge is one of the oldest amateur drama groups in Canada.
Playgoers strives to advance and encourage theatre arts in Lethbridge and area, as well as, promote the enjoyment of theatre arts.

Our season begins in October with a dinner theatre production and is followed by large stage production in February.  Playgoers also hosts the Southwestern Regional One-Act Drama Festival in March/April. A play is selected to compete in the Alberta One-Act Drama Festival.
Playgoers sponsors three speech awards in the Kiwanis Music and Speech Arts Festival (Cherie Baunton Award, the Fram and Ern Bayly Memorial Scholarship, and the Ernest E. Bayly Memorial Trophy).
Throughout the year, Playgoers organizes workshops in various aspects of theatre - acting, directing, stage craft, production, and more.
On occassion, Playgoers presents one act plays or provides entertainment for other organizations. 

Membership:

Membership is open to everyone over age of 18 and costs $10 a year.

Playgoers also organizes potlucks, barbecues, script readings, games night, holiday gathering, and theatre night for our members.

The Beginning:

Sterndale Bennett was among those who formed Playgoers Club of Lethbridge. Bennett submitted a letter to the Lethbridge Herald in January 1923 entitled, "The Amateur Stage". The letter recommended a group promote amateur theatre - a playgoers’ club - comprised of lovers of theatre.

He believed this group should aim:
* To attract, to disseminate information about, to attend, and to endorse worthy professional shows.
* To produce shows of quality; to expend every effort to pursue the perfection of the art - a task which should not be diluted by overriding aims such as raising money for charity.
* To train and develop local dramatic and musical talent. Experienced members of the club should provide guidance to the inexperienced, and the club should encourage participation by these beginners in ‘simple one-act plays and operettas’ presented to an audience of their own club members until they have become sufficiently trained to participate effectively in the larger production of the club.

 Within a few weeks, nearly sixty people gathered and formed Playgoers Club of Lethbridge. The first production "Going Up" in April 1923, was seen by over 1000 people and made a profit.

Playgoers continues with the values and goals expressed by Sterndale Bennet.

Affilations:

Playgoers is a member of Allied Arts Council of Lethbridge (www.artslethbridge.org) and Theatre Alberta (www.theatrealberta.com). 

Major Productions:

1923 - Going Up (Musical)

- Raffles (Mystery)

1924 - Oh, Lady! Lady! (Musical)

- The Prince of Pilsen (Musical)

1925 - The Whole Town's Talking (Comedy)

- HMS Pinafore (Operetta)

1927 - The Green Goddess (Drama)

1928 - The Toreador (Musical)

1929 - The Earl and the Girl (Musical)

1930 - Cock Robin (ComedylMystery)

1932 - The Servant in the House (Comedy)

- The Country Girl (Musical)

1933 - A Little Bit of Fluff (Farce)

1934 - Musical Pie (Musical Revue)

- The Thirteenth Chair (Mystery)

1935 - The Gingham Girl (Mystery)

1936 - The Middle Watch (Romance Comedy)

- Ruth Ripley or The Orphan's

- Sacrifice (Melodrama)

1937 - Children to Bless You (Comedy)

1938 - Squaring the Circle (Farce)

- Counsel for the Defence (Comedy)

1939-1942 No Major productions, but many contributions to wartime theatrical activities
1943-1950 Organizational hiatus

1951 - Arsenic and Old Lace (Comedy)

1952 - Angel Street (Suspense/Drama)

1953 - Night Must Fall (Suspense Drama)

- You Can't Take It With You (Comedy)

1954 - The Silver Cord (Drama)

- The Man Who Came To Dinner (Farce)

1956 - Harvey (Comedy)

1957 - The Heiress (Drama)

1958 - White Sheep of the Family (Comedy)

1960 - The Curious Savage (Comedy)

- Gendy Does It (thriller)

1961 - Anastasia (Drama)

- Blithe Spirit (Comedy)

1962 - Dark at the Top of the Stairs (Drama)

- The Cradle Song (Comedy)

1963 - Rebecca (thriller)

- Dark of the Moon (Drama)

1964 - Therese (Mystery)

1965 - Born Yesterday (Comedy)

1966 - You Can't Take it With You (Comedy)

- The Children's Hour (Drama)

1967 - Madwoman of Chaillot (Comedy)

- Chinook (Comedy)

1969 - Red Peppers (Comedy)

1970 - The Hostage (Drama)

1971 - Fings Ain't Wot They Used T’Be (Musical Comedy)

1972 - A Midsummer Night's Dream

1973 - Black Comedy (Farce)

- Oh, What a Lovely War (Music)

1974 - Breath of Spring (Comedy)

- Arsenic and Old Lace (Comedy)

1975 - The Crucible (Drama)

- Come Blow Your Horn (Comedy)

 1976 - The Time of Your Life (Comedy)

- Night Must Fall (Mystery)

1977 - A Comedy of Errors (Comedy)

- Life with Father (Comedy)

1978 - No Sex Please, We're British (Farce)

- The Journals of Susanna Moodie and Under Milkwood

1979 - Walsh (Drama)

1980 - The Fantastics (Musical)

1982 - Never Too Late (Comedy)

1983 - Da (Comedy/Drama)

1984 - Suddenly at home (Mystery)

1985 -The Miracle Worker (Drama)

1986 - On Golden Pond (Comedy/Drama)

1987 - The Odd Couple (Female Version)

1988 - The Tea House of the August Moon (Comedy)

1989 - The Hollow Crown (Readers Theatre)

- Steel Magnolias (Comedy/Drama)

1990 - The Whole Town's Talking (Comedy)

- The Hollow Crown

1991 - Wait Until Dark (Suspense)

1992 - The Sunshine Boys (Comedy)

1993 - Harvey (Comedy)

1995 - No Sex, Please, We're British (Farce)

1996 - See How They Run (Comedy)

1997 - The Matchmaker (Comedy)

- Plaza Suite (Comedy)

1998 - It Runs in the Family (Comedy)

1999 - Barefoot in the Park (Comedy)

2000 - Bedside Manners (Farce)

2001 - Night Must Fall (Suspense)

- Move Over Mrs. Markham (Farce)

2002 - Beyond a Joke (Comedy)

- Opening Night (Comedy)

2003 - Touch and Go (Comedy)

- Cocktails at Pam's (Comedy)

2004 - Moon Over Buffalo Comedy)

- Breath of Spring (Comedy)

2005 - The Odd Couple (Comedy)

2006 - A Bedfull of Foreigners Farce)

- Nurse Jane Goes to Hawaii (Comedy)

2007 - Come Blow Your Horn (Comedy)

- The Nerd (Comedy)

2008 - Cash on Delivery (Farce)
        - Chinamen

2009 - Blithe Spirit
        - Key For Two

2010 - The Mousetrap
        -

** In addition to the 97 major productions staged in Playgoers’ 87 year history, there have been approximately 175 one act plays, 19 short melodramas, 14 children’s productions, and 10 Reader Theatre presentations.

More detailed history about Playgoers is available in George Mann's Theatre Lethbridge, A History of Theatre Productions in Lethbridge (1885-1988) Appendix F-1 includes the director, cast, and crew for each production.