The High Sheriff of Oxfordshire, Mrs Amanda Ponsonby, visited Thame on Tuesday 27 October, accompanied by her husband, Rupert, and Thame’s Mayor, Ann Midwinter. The visit would not have been complete without coming to The Players Theatre and the party was duly welcomed by Tony Long and given a tour of the theatre. Ann Midwinter described the theatre as ‘the jewel in the crown’ and who are we to argue with her? The High Sheriff was a truly delightful lady and seemed to enjoy every moment of her visit. As part of the tour she met our Chairman, Mike Chester, and was shown the wardrobe and backstage area by Bernadette Tildesley. During the visit I talked about our panto which we hope to perform – Covid willing – at the end of January. The panto being Babes in the Wood, it seemed highly appropriate to introduce the High Sheriff of Oxfordshire to the extremely low Sheriff of Nottingham – played by Steve Lambell in the panto. The two Sheriffs got on like a house on fire as the picture shows. The High Sheriff described the moment as the highlight of her visit to the town.
The Sheriff was very impressed with the theatre and its long history and was delighted to be presented with a copy of the book, That’s Entertainment – 75 Years of Thame Players.
