The Edward Alderton Theatre was built, financed and publicly licensed by drama students during the mid 1970s. The theatre first opened its doors to the public on the 17 May 1976 with a production of Oh What a Lovely War, directed by Derek Goulding, the drama tutor who was to become the theatre's first Artistic Director. However, the company dates back over 20 years before this. Formed in 1951, it was part of the new Adult Education Centre in Brampton Road, Bexleyheath that had opened a year earlier. In 1956, the group adopted the title The Brampton Players and began to make its mark among the other local drama groups, winning one competition with an Orwellian style play entitled Nothing Will Come of Nothing, improvised and written by the group. In addition to these original productions, the group performed two or three plays each season, attracting a number of talented players to its ranks. It continued to flourish, but always working within the confines of a small stage and school hall environment. Our current home was constructed in the early seventies, converted from an old fire station and taking its name from Edward Alderton, a well-known local personality who was warden of the education centre in 1950. The theatre was built to allow the maximum stage space possible, with the small and intimate auditorium designed to increase contact between actors and audience, creating the ideal atmosphere for modern theatrical performances. The Edward Alderton Theatre was the first non-professional company to stage Neville's Island by Tim Firth. Channel 4 filmed the theatre's production of Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell by Keith Waterhouse, which was transmitted in 1996.
