WHAT’S IN GRACE’S SATCHEL?
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at Alderley & Wilmslow Musical Theatre Company:
Why this might be the most important ticket you buy this year
You know those shows that come with a puff of nostalgia the moment you hear the title?
This one has it. That unmistakable name. That tune you already know.
That flying car — yes, the one that was on Strictly.
Alderley & Wilmslow Musical Theatre Company (AWMTC) have been lighting up their corner of Cheshire for decades, powered entirely by community spirit and an army of volunteers who can multitask like nobody’s business. Sewing a costume while painting a set and organising the raffle? Standard Tuesday.
But this autumn, they’re taking on a giant: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
A bucket-list musical. A massive technical challenge. And one of the most expensive licences available to community theatre.
And here’s the kicker: to break even, they need to sell around ninety per cent of tickets.
Ninety. Per. Cent.
In a world where everything costs more (including your weekly shop, your electricity, and apparently screws — don’t ask), community theatre companies are being squeezed. Rights are pricier. Venues cost more. Everyone is suddenly talking about insurance premiums. And audiences? They’re having to choose where their money goes carefully.
But the people who make shows like this happen don’t do it for money.
They do it for magic.
They do it for that look — the one a kid gets when the curtain rises and the world suddenly turns into a story.
They do it because they’ve fallen in love with theatre, and they want the community to have the chance to fall in love with it too.
Behind this production are parents juggling childcare to get to rehearsals, wardrobe heroes hemming trousers at midnight, and a group of musicians who could have stayed at home but instead chose to make something beautiful, live, and local.
There is a flying car. A live orchestra. A big, bright, family musical staged by people who care.
And here’s the truth nobody likes to say out loud:
Shows like this don’t just vanish when ticket sales are low —
entire theatre companies do.
Supporting community theatre isn’t the same as buying a ticket to a touring musical that already has thousands of pounds behind it.
Your ticket here is fuel. Literally. It keeps Chitty flying.
If ever there was a moment to go to the theatre —
this is it.
Bring your kids. Bring your partner. Bring the neighbour who keeps taking your parcels. Tell everyone. Fill those seats. Show that local theatre still matters.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang runs from 18–22 November at The Evans Theatre, Wilmslow Leisure Centre.
Tickets: awmtc.org
Go on. Be part of the story that keeps a theatre company alive.
Grace Hatchell
2nd Act Couriers
Delivering theatre… straight from my satchel.