They are places to let off steam, live your dreams or experience your unfulfilled ambitions. Amateur or Community Theatre thrives despite perennial rumours of the death of the theatre. They are the training grounds for beginners, newcomers or those who are just preparing to try for the big times. These are companies who hold auditions open to their members or the general public — sometimes for a fee, but more often not. You'll also find that many of these groups or societies have been in existence far longer than any professional company.
No union involvements, no pros. Sounds like a dream....
Here are a few links to sites relating to and/or maintained by some amateur groups around the globe. Although they involve amateur productions, many of the sites seem to have a more professional execution than many of the sites promoting professional companies.
Denmark seems to have an organization of amateur groups: dansk amatør teater samvirke or (DATS), which maintains links to a number of Danish sites, including Veksø Amatør Teater af 1985 (VAT85).
Travel to Norway and you'll find The Oslo Players, a group devoted to productions of plays in English.
And I know it sounds like some kind of bad joke, but believe it or not, Sweden hosts the Polish Theatre Society. If the images at their site are any indication, the society's productions are anything but a joke. Their aim is to "introduce Polish theatre and culture to both Swedish and Polish audiences."
Despite its name, the Wagga Wagga School of Arts (Australia) is an amateur theatre society, producing plays and musicals. They have a history dating back to 1859 when the group was founded to "provide art and cultural facilities for the community." The site's many JPEGs show that the group maintains a very high level of production values.
The Mummer Theatre Group (Scotland) has an ambitious site with information about their productions over the last few years. The site contains a great deal of very attractive artwork. Makes you want to see the shows.
Cambridge University Amateur Dramatic Club (UK) was founded in 1855. Their site is very intricate, large and detailed. You'll find information from throughout their long history. (I guess as students they have more time to devote to the maintenance of their site than some of the other groups.)
Hard Ticket Productions (Newfoundland, Canada) is one of the most recent groups formed to establish a Web presence. They produce performances of "a more alternative nature, utilizing non-traditional theatre space," including their current 15-minute epic, Skinhead Hamlet.
The Garden Suburb Theatre of London "promotes local involvement in and appreciation
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