Waiting In The Wings Review: 250 years of theatrical history in Doncaster
- Jack Davey
- 1 hour ago
- 3 min read
05 September 2026 | 19:00 | Cast, Doncaster
PR - Invite
To mark a whopping two and a half centuries of live entertainment in Doncaster, the city's flagship venue Cast have staged Waiting In The Wings, a run of just two performances on Saturday 5th September. The production is co-created by Doncaster People's Theatre (DPT), and performed by over 50 of its community members ranging in age from 7 to 86.
This year celebrates exactly 250 years since the 'Theatre of Doncaster' first opened its doors in the Market Place (1776). Followed by the Grand Theatre (1899) and the New Arcadia (1921), later known as Doncaster Civic Theatre until it was demolished and replaced by Cast in 2013. On these historic sites, many era-defining stars have appeared including Sarah Siddons, regarded as one of the first celebrated actresses of the stage, and Ira Aldridge, the first Black actor to have played Othello.
A tremendous amount of study has gone into the development of this project. Researchers have delved into local archives, recorded oral statements and led over fifty workshops to make a show authentically Doncastrian in voice, written by Chris O'Connor and the Scriptworks team. We arrived early to view the accompanying exhibition, which included a selection of videos, costumes and a mock 'Playbill' to take home, with all of the relevant history.
Tonight is the first time I've seen the Cast stage so stripped back, with the walls of the space fully visible as the actors remain onstage throughout, 'waiting in the wings' when not performing. This also includes a rostrum where three marvellously talented musicians play. We imagine that we are backstage, watching the cast meet under the ghost light and recount the years gone by. The play takes on a variety of performance styles: sometimes it features character work, and other times tongue-in-cheek portrayals of historical characters using costume and props from storage, weaving in direct address to educate us in an entertaining and fast-paced manner.
While the show remembers those we have lost before us, the momentum is light and hearty. And some of its most charming moments of humour come from small hiccups on the night. As the line 'but there's so much more to Doncaster...' is declared there was, I believe, an unintentionally long pause while the company waited for the next line. But the open silence ended up being pure comedy gold, because there really is so much more to Doncaster! Did you know that Charles Dickens pursued an affair here with the theatre manager's daughter, for over a decade?
Despite the World Wars' minor structural damage, the theatres of Doncaster survived and continued to host performances as an escape from the conflict. People carried on as a community, and this spirit is brought to life tonight by Bombshell Blu Burlesque and Theatre Squad UK's visiting ensembles, whose dancing additions are vibrant and inspiring to watch.
I must commend the performance of the 15-year-old Jonathan Dare, who took on the role of earlier mentioned Ira Aldridge. As one of the youngest in the company, his stage maturity in honouring an actor known for denouncing slavery was incredibly assured and passionate.
A Q&A followed the performance, and it was a delight to hear from the onstage actors, researchers, and local MP Sally Jameson. It was especially great to hear Cast's director James Blakey on the venue's commitment to treating creatives with value on a human level, as well as financial gratitude for the time spent on events such as this, supported by the National Lottery's Heritage Fund and Arts Council England.
There is an incredible commitment to accessibility through Doncaster People's Theatre, and Jane Kelsall's BSL interpretation is exemplary in adapting to so many different voices and musical numbers. Waiting In The Wings champions what it means to be part of a community, bringing together a diversity in age, disabilities, ethnicities, identities and sexualities. To put a spotlight on the people that may be denied the opportunity to perform in a commercial sense, so much so that it brings a tear to the eyes of many with its civic pride in performance.
In the 18th-century, a town drummer was arrested in Doncaster for causing a public disturbance before theatres were introduced. And at the end of this evening's performance, Citizens of the World Drummers took to the stage to celebrate a full-circle journey of over 250 years, showing just how far we have come.
Cast: What's On & More: https://www.castindoncaster.com/whats-on/
