A THEATRE group in Ramsbottom has been declared as one of the most successful in the country - after raising the curtain to record audiences.

The Summerseat Players, based in the Theatre Royal, in Smithy Street, is number one in terms of box office sales in a list of amateur theatres around the country.

The Little Theatre Guild, which oversees and helps promote amateur theatres, produces a list of box office returns and the group achieved a season average of around 93 per cent for the last two years.

Most recently, their version of the play The Ladykillers, written by Father Ted creator Graham Linehan, was sold out for the final three performances of the eight-day run at the theatre, which has a capacity of more than 200.

Steve Gill, the group’s publicity officer, said he put it down to staging a wide variety of plays, and not performing too many to retain the interest of the public.

He said: “When we looked at the figures, we started to realise how well the group was doing, and considering the size of the theatre, it’s fantastic.”

The bumper ticket sales follow a period of financial difficulty for the group, after it had to fork out about £400,000 to fund improvements to the stage, front of stage and backstage facilities four years ago.

A bank loan, which helped fund part of the investment has now been paid off, and the future looks bright, with more investments in the pipeline.

The box office is being brought into the 21st century, with ticket sales being moved online, a new lighting rig in the 60-seat studio theatre, and new heating in backstage areas.

The Players continue to have a thriving youth group, which has previously produced actors such as Royal Family star Ralph Little and Kate O’Flynn, who recently performed at the National Theatre in London.

The Summerseat Players’ next show is Happy Jack, written by John Godber, which opens tomorrow, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday in the studio theatre.

For tickets and more information about the group and the theatre visit www.summerseatplayers.co.uk.