The Henley Children’s Theatre Group was founded in 1969 by my Grandmother, Flavia Pickworth. We are a fun group of local children practising the art of “theatre” on Saturday mornings and performing two productions per year at the local theatre in Henley, the Kenton Theatre. It is a non-audition group and inclusive to all who are interested.

The starting age is 3 and a half years, rising in 5 different aged groups to approximately 16. There would be no upper limit save for the fact that school studies tend to take over! The classes are suitable for both boys and girls. The songs tend to be good, old musical tunes from yesteryear, and the dances are NOT girly – more general coordination and movement, along with tap dancing. Acting is encouraged through drama games and exercises: very often the small children think they are just playing, but they will all be developing various skills along the way, including voice work, physical and mental coordination, working in a group, imitation etc. The most important thing through all of this, is the environment in which children learn. It must be fun for them, or there is no point to what I do. It must be stressed that we are a theatregroup and therefore we cannot focus on acting alone, and all the children must work to acquire a basic knowledge of singing and dancing too. If they should choose acting as a profession, they will certainly have more to offer a prospective employer with these other skills under their belt.