At the beginning of 1962 Rushden Carnival Committee decided to produce a pantomime in Rushden. A sub committee was formed with Mr. Bernard Palmer, who had established Rushden Amateur Operatic Society some fifteen years earlier, as its chairman. Over the months the commitment of the Carnival Committee seemed to wane with the budget being decimated until only a small production at the boys' school could be anticipated.
During this period there was a lot of publicity about Rushden being a one horse town with nothing to do, nowhere to go, no entertainment and no interest or enthusiasm amongst its people to do anything about it.
At the National Operatic and Dramatic Association's Midland Conference at Malvern that year a group of young people decided that if the Carnival Committee could not organise a full scale pantomime at a recognised theatre then they would go it alone and silence Rushden's critics. They formed themselves into a small committee to assess the viability of the project with the help and advice of Mr. Palmer. The biggest problem soon became what to call the group. It was finally decided to simply call it Rushden Amateur Theatrical Society.
The press became interested in the situation and headlines read 'Two winter shows for Rushden' and 'Go it alone group to produce charity show at Rushden'. At a Carnival Committee meeting on May 22nd the two groups met. The Carnival Committee accepted Rushden Amateur Theatrical Society's ideas. The Society would finance and produce the pantomime, the profits to be distributed by the Committee for the first few years. With this agreement four of the Carnival Committee were invited to join the Society Committee. The headlines read 'The people of Rushden says R.A.T.S.' The period of gestation was complete, the R.A.T.S. were born.
With a budget of £1,150, guaranteed by the R.A.T.S. Committee, 'Babes in the Wood' was presented at the Ritz in January 1963. The R.A.T.S. have presented pantos at the Ritz every year since then, frequently writing their own original scripts. They have performed Amateur Premiers of two great shows, Oliver! and Annie! They have won several prizes in regional competitions and entertained countless thousands of people whose support has enabled many thousands of pounds to be donated to various charities.
During the formation of the RA.T.S. a local theatre critic wrote: 'When I sit watching a play produced by amateurs I often wonder whether the drama behind the drama would be more entertaining than the performance itself.' This has never been said about R.A.T.S. shows but certainly the drama behind the scenes has made news on a number of occasions. The R.A.T.S. made the news when the first Cinderella's coach bolted down Skinners Hill with the R.A.T.S. business manager hanging on to the rear axle trying to slow its progress. When it was discovered that Aladdin was pregnant the local headline 'Panto's secret of the lamp's out in front' caught the eye of the nationals. The headline on page 3 was 'Magic! a pregnant panto boy. Now it's Aladdin's lump'. But the best publicity the R.A.T.S. ever have is patrons going out and telling their friends they've enjoyed themselves.
Over the years the R.A.T.S. have given an interest to many hundreds of people and with their youth group 'The New Experience', have put the love of greasepaint into many hearts. Quite a number of R.A.T.S. have turned professional and have been seen in cabaret, shows and TV. The R.A.T.S. strive for professionalism in all they do and are gradually expanding their sphere of interest. Cinderella is the silver jubilee performance, the twenty-fifth R.A.T.S. panto, join the R.A.T.S. celebrations.
