Visitors and members gathered at Trinity Theatre, Cowes, earlier this month to celebrate 125 years of Cowes Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society (CAODS).

Launched in 1897, CAODS has been an amateur community performance group on the Isle of Wight since day one.

Scroll through the gallery of pictures above to see more...

An enthusiastic audience heard Edna Crosbie, president of CAODS, speak about the long and successful history of the society’s shows, from the patronage by Queen Victoria’s daughter, Princess Beatrice, of the annual Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, through to the Broadway musicals of the 50s, 60s and 70s.

Isle of Wight County Press: Some on the many attendees at the CAODS 125th anniversary celebration evening at Trinity Theatre, Cowes.Some on the many attendees at the CAODS 125th anniversary celebration evening at Trinity Theatre, Cowes. (Image: CAODS)

She then spoke of present day comedic plays such as the recent Wife After Death, which will move to the Shanklin Theatre in March 2023.

READ AGAIN: Review of Wife After Death by Cowes Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society

A collection of costumes, props, programmes, posters, and press articles from over the years was prominently displayed. And volunteers were asked to come forward to help catalogue and digitise other theatre archive materials not on show!
Lynn Narraway hosted the evening and explained as a “Newbie to Cowes and to CAODS” she had decided to become involved to try to help raise the £150,000 needed to carry out necessary repairs to the roof.

Lynn invited Joan Finch, long-standing member of CAODS, to share tales of fun and the occasional glitch experienced in theatre productions. 

Joan told of how the Sun newspaper once wrote how Rosie Collard, the star of the Humpty Dumpty pantomime Joan was directing, fell off the set she was painting, broke her leg and, as the Sun wrote: “All the King’s horses and all the King’s men couldn’t put Rosie together again.”

The NHS did put Rosie together again, and she went on the perform in the show to rave reviews, albeit with the aid of a walking stick, rather than the crutches the hospital had prescribed!

READ AGAIN: PHOTOS Cowes-based CAODS marks being one of the UK's oldest amateur dramatic groups

Edna introduced a surprise entertainment put on by stars of Isle of Wight musical amateur theatre, all of whom had performed regularly for CAODS over the years.

Lynn closed the evening by thanking all attendees, including Susie Sheldon, Lord Lieutenant of the Isle of Wight; Cllr Paul Bertie, Mayor of Cowes; Cllr Michael Paler, and double Olympic medallist, and Deputy Lord Lieutenant Shirley Robertson, for coming to the celebration evening. 

There was a big round of applause for all the CAODS volunteers who work tirelessly to put on shows, evenings and community events.

Lynn urged everyone to join as members and buy tickets for the upcoming pantomime, Cinderella, which runs from December 2 to 11.

Tickets are available online from the CAODS website, see: caods.org.uk.