I have been in the Riverside Players family since 1989 and have been involved in many productions over the years. This has been mostly on stage in both musical and acting roles, but also as musical director for many of the pantomimes, with only one foray into backstage scene shifting – I’ve learnt not to try that again!

I served on the committee from 2000-2006, and having had a couple of years as membership secretary I am now in the chair.

While not involved with Riverside Players I am active as a resident musician at Dartford Folk Club, and playing in the medieval wandering minstrel group that is Offalog. What gets in the way of all this is having to work – but I get to play with electron microscopes and analytical X-ray equipment all day long, so it can't be that bad. See - not one mention of ostracods, doh!

By popular acclaim I no longer appear on stage and I think I am also in charge of "stuff without plugs". I've been a committee member before and also acted as treasurer during the year we produced Oliver!, so I have a fair understanding of how the group functions.

My purpose on returning to the fold is to help the committee ensure the group functions as efficiently as it can. Like all members I have an opinion about everything but I'm not as ready to broadcast mine. If you want to tell the committee your views you can send them to me via This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it at and I'll get you a reply.

I've been a member of Riverside Players for nine years now, after being lured away from other societies by Ian. Those nine years have been filled with wonderful connubial bliss, wonderful theatrical opportunities and wonderful new friends.

Following my previous stint on the committee as secretary, I'm back to try my hand as newsletter editor. This ties is well with my second career as a freelance copy editor and proofreader - and gives me the excuse to play with some expensive DTP software too.

Working for myself gives me a bit of flexibility, which I fill up with singing with Ian at Dartford Folk Club and playing recorder in our medieval music group Offalog, studying for an Open University degree - and of course not forgetting the knitting!

I can truly say that Riverside Players has given my life meaning. After all, once a Vixen, always a Vixen!

Larry's biog to come

I got involved with Riverside Players way back in 1992 (I know, it shows!) when my then 11-year old daughter Jenny looked after a (live) goat in Camelot. I got hijacked for the next show, The Pirates when, in an unguarded moment, I let slip my love for Gilbert and Sullivan Operetta to the late Caroline Frost, who directed this great production. That, as they say, was the start of a beautiful relationship and I’ve mostly been playing the goat ever since. I’ve acted, or so some say, in more pantos than I can name and all of our fantastic outdoor extravaganzas, but directing is my first love these days, having had the privilege of working with marvellous casts in Cabaret and A Man for All Seasons for example. I finally got back to my musical roots by directing The Mikado in 2011 and have been involved in quite a few other music and opera ventures, including Madame Butterfly and Rigoletto with The Sevenoaks Opera Company. I sing choral music with another long-term Riverside Players member in the Beckenham Chorale. All of this is fine now that I am retired from a scientific career in pharmaceuticals but, as we all get to know, you just get busier when your “retire” so I keep my science going in my “spare” time – it’s Riverside that keeps me sane!**!!**!

Lynda's biog to come

I’ve been involved in amateur theatre for over 30 years, for most of that time with Bromley Little Theatre, appearing on stage and working ‘behind the scenes’ on stage management, lighting design and set design.

I joined Riverside Players in 2006 to take part in the fabulous outdoor production of Oliver! at Eynsford Castle, together with my daughter Sophie (who was only 7 when we started rehearsing). We both really enjoyed the experience, and I found the group so welcoming and so full of talented, dedicated, fun people, with such a great approach to putting on shows, that I decided to switch my limited free time away from BLT to Riverside Players.

Since then I have appeared in a number of shows, my favourite to-date being the recent production of ‘Allo ‘Allo.