BUY TICKETS About the VAMPS
VAMPS was formed in 1961 as the St Neots and District Operatic Society, but changed our name in 1993 to reflect the musicals and variety concerts that we now perform. Each Spring and Autumn, we stage a popular musical or a variety show based on a theme attracting audiences of up to 300 people every night. We are an enthusiastic community theatre company, whose members are drawn from the towns and villages surrounding St Neots.
We rehearse every Tuesday and Thursday evening in St Neots.
VAMPS at 60
In 1961 a group of thespians; Arthur Wade, Ernest Gross, Bill Berridge and Stan Smith, from St Neots and the surrounding areas formed the St Neots and District Operatic Society (SNADOS, fondly known as OPSOC). A year later they performed their first show – Gilbert & Sullivan’s Yeoman of the Guard.
From 1962 to 1976 SNADOS performed numerous Gilbert & Sullivan operettas, with the odd operetta thrown in from other writers, such as La Belle Hélène by Henri
Meilhac, Ludovic Halévy & Jacques Offenbach. In 1973 SNADOS took on their first musical, Fiddler on the Roof but it wasn’t until 1980’s South Pacific that the musicals started flowing and became the norm. In 1993 SNADOS changed their name to the Variety and Musical Performing Society (VAMPS) which continues to reflect the musicals and variety concerts that we perform.
In 2022, we celebrated both the 60th anniversary of our founding, and celebrating the 60th anniversary of our first performance, by putting on Showstoppers 6 as our first production back after the COVID pandemic (2020-2021) – coincidentally also falling on the 25th year since the first Showstoppers I (1997).
If you have any memories, stories or photos from the last 60 years of VAMPS/ SNADOS please get in touch, we would love to hear from you! Please contact us with your memories or memorabilia.
The Committee
The VAMPS committee ensure the smooth running of the society, and are available to contact for a range of enquiries, such as joining the society or booking us for a concert. The committee also have the exciting job of picking the shows the society performs. Committee meetings are monthly and are open to all members of the society to attend, we post the details of our next meeting on the membership Facebook group, and the Membership WhatsApp – please contact us for details if you are not part of these groups. A list of our committee members can be found using the button below.