Strolling Players

The Strolling Players were a London-based society in the second half of the nineteenth century. Their membership was limited to 200 persons and they had a committee overseeing the activities of the society with a sub-committee selecting plays and inviting amateurs to take the roles. They regularly performed at St George's Hall. In 1889, The Queen, The Lady's Newspaper stated that this was 'one of the largest, and in many respects the most important of existing Amateur Dramatic Societies'.

In 1890 the Duke of Cambridge was approached by the club to become its President. This role was accepted on the understanding that the role was entirely honorary.

Each season of the club ran from October to May and usually consisted of three or four performances with the annual subscription in 1889 being 25s. Invitation to performances was strictly by invitation only, with each member being entitled to four tickets per event. When performances were successful they were repeated for charity.

The society are the focus of an extended article in The Ladies' Home, 7 January 1899, which includes photographs of prominent members Arthur Ayers, Mrs Arthur Ayers, F. G. Meade and Charles Lamb. The article explains how many members have had professional careers after starting out in the Strollers, including Lewis Waller, Beatrice Lamb, Janet Achurch, Maud Millett, Holman Clark and Allan Aynesworth.