THE NEWLY-appointed president of a national amateur theatres organisation has fired a broadside across the bows of those who set the fees for hiring local authority theatres.

Chris Ingram has spent more than 50 years as a performer, producer and administrator in amateur theatre.

And as the new president of the National Operatic and Dramatic Association (NODA) – the umbrella body that represents amateur theatre in the UK – is less than impressed by recent price hikes putting a squeeze on theatre groups.

Mr Ingram, 67, is chairman of Guiseley Amateur Operatic Society, an organisation he first performed with in 1964.

His new appointment came at NODA's annual meeting at the Carriageworks Theatre in Leeds on September 26.

And he has wasted no time in fighting the cause of theatre groups nationally.

“Escalating charges, particularly at the larger local authority-run or privately-owned theatres across the country, are making the situation very difficult for amateur groups,” he said.

“It costs about £20,000 for a small society like mine at Guiseley in West Yorkshire to put on a show. But a week-long amateur production at places such as the Leeds Grand Theatre or the Sheffield Lyceum can cost anything up to £150,000 in total. That’s a huge sum of money."

He added: “You can’t cover those costs by ticket sales and sponsorship alone. Most groups have to have other events during the year to cover the cost of their main annual production.”

Married with two grown-up children, he lives at Red Holt Drive in Keighley.

Speaking of his new appointment, he said: "It’s a great honour to be made president of any governing body.

"It’s payback time for me. I have adored performing over the years, and I shall spend the next 12 months trying to enthuse people in the way I have been enthused by the amateur theatre."

Mr Ingram has worked his way through the ranks at NODA, first becoming a regional representative in 1977, then councillor for the region that represents Yorkshire in 2001 and finally national chairman of trustees in 2011.

At the same time, he has regularly performed on the stage and also produced shows for societies in Pudsey, Settle and Yeadon, among others, as well as his own society at Guiseley.

As figurehead of the organisation, he will spend the next 12 months watching shows and plays by amateur theatre groups across the country.

Yorkshire has more amateur theatre groups than virtually any other area in the country.

The Guiseley society has a proud record of producing individuals who have gone on to take a major role in the governance of amateur theatre in the UK. Former Guiseley AOS chairman, Reg Vinnicombe, served as president of NODA in 2001.

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