Pat Cassidy

60 years’ service to Community Theatre

Pat joined Heys Players in 1951 starting with concerts and revues performed at stage venues throughout Prestwich and Whitefield. By 1953 the Heys Players had become known as the Prestwich Revue Company, presenting revues, concerts and pantomimes over the years. In 1955 Paddy and Pat started their family but Pat still found time to fit in community theatre. She joined PADOS in September 1976. Her first musical was “Fiddler on the Roof” and after 8 years with PADOS Pat also became a member of Whitefield AODS. Over the next few years she performed in 17 musicals for Whitefield, and 29 with PADOS.

BY 1990 PADOS had formed a Youth group. For its second production Pat became props mistress. This involvement continued for the next 20 years. At this time the Prestwich Concert Orchestra was formed. Together with St. Monica’s school choir and the PADOS chorus they presented annual “Link Concerts”. She remembers “they were always a joy to be in, they always sold out, and are now sadly missed”.

In the 1990s “Showcase” was founded to present annual fund raising events, presented by local musical theatre groups. Included in these events were Whitefield and PADOS in which Pat performed, sometimes representing both societies.

Besides performing and looking after props it was in 2008, during rehearsals for “Annie”, that Pat realised that “my feet weren’t matching my brain and I hung up my scripts”. It didn’t take long before Pat was asked to take on stage manager for the PADOS plays, a position she still holds.

You may see Pat as a background artist in “Corrie” but for Pat Community Theatre, in all its aspects, has given her great satisfaction, and many friends over the years. “If any of you reading this are thinking of joining an am-dram society, Pat says,  "Go for it. For whatever you give, you get back tenfold”.