We are delighted to announce a new partnership with Lightfoots Solicitors, the award-winning law firm, who will be sponsoring the Players Theatre from this year.

Thame’s foremost law firm has long connections with Thame Players, extending back to Thame Players’ formation in 1945, when the son of founder Edward Lightfoot, Jack Lightfoot, with two other returning PoWs, turned them into a regular performing group. Thame Players have flourished ever since, with a consistently good track record for local entertainment stretching back over 75 years.

The Players Theatre, owned and run by Thame Players, is Thame’s only dedicated theatre and cinema facility. Shows are put on throughout the year at affordable prices, to suit various tastes and age groups. They include five in-house productions, from serious drama to pantomime, around 30 visiting shows featuring music, comedy and drama, and over 25 film screenings a year hosted by Thame Cinema For All. Thame Players is a registered charity, run entirely by volunteers who receive no remuneration.

Lightfoots Solicitors was established over 150 years ago, and today they have four offices in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, working for clients across the UK. Their heritage and community-focused ethos give them a unique perspective on the challenges businesses and other organisations are facing. They have three principal areas of service - for business, for lenders, and for life. Their values are based on conducting business to the highest ethical standards, encouraging a ‘we over me’ mentality, providing innovative solutions and delivering excellence in everything they do.

Joe Middleton, Managing Partner of Lightfoots, said, “We are delighted to announce this association with Thame’s only dedicated theatrical and cinema venue. As the theatre is a major contributor to culture and the arts in Thame, we believe this will be a very appropriate extension of our relationship with them. We are pleased to be supporting Thame Players, helping them to carry out refurbishments and technical improvements that will assist the theatre to continue as a popular venue for the next 75 years or more”.

Mike Chester, Chairman of Thame Players, said, “Lightfoots’ financial support will be very welcome as we face ongoing challenges to maintain our 100-year-old building and strive to maintain creative excellence across our extensive range of in-house productions and visiting shows. With Lightfoots’ help, we aim to attract more audiences, achieve greater audience satisfaction, and strengthen the theatre as a 21st century venue. Ensuring the theatre’s long-term survival as a a popular and valued cultural resource is in everyone’s interests”.