Local theatre group Variety Express returns to the stage this October - bringing music, laughter and a very important message of community support.

For more than 45 years, local community theatre group Variety Express has been bringing people together through musical theatre - while raising an incredible amount of money for charities across Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire.

This October, the group returns with its brand-new production, Curtain Call - A New Musical, and once again, there is a purpose behind the performance that goes far beyond the footlights.

Set in the once-grand Meridian Theatre, Curtain Call takes audiences behind the scenes of a theatre company fighting to save its beloved venue. With colourful characters, backstage chaos, big personalities, plenty of humour and, of course, lots of music and dancing, it promises to be an entertaining celebration of everything we love about live theatre.

But for Variety Express, the real stars of the show are the two charities that will benefit from the proceeds.

Supporting The Garden House Hospice

One of this year's beneficiaries is The Garden House Hospice, which provides specialist hospice care and support to local people living with life-limiting illnesses, as well as support for their families and loved ones.

Hospice care touches so many families in our local communities, often providing not only expert clinical care, but also comfort, dignity, compassion and precious support at incredibly difficult times.

Variety Express is proud to be able to contribute towards the vital work of The Garden House Hospice and help support the services that make such a difference to local families.

Supporting Beds & Herts Emergency Critical Care Scheme

The second beneficiary is the Beds & Herts Emergency Critical Care Scheme (BHECCS), a charity supporting emergency and critical care services across Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire.

Emergency and critical care teams are there for people at some of the most frightening and unexpected moments of their lives. BHECCS works to support and enhance these vital service, helping improve care for patients when every second matters.

For Variety Express, supporting BHECCS is another opportunity to turn the enjoyment of a night at the theatre into something that can make a genuine difference within our community.

A show that gives back

Variety Express is entirely run by volunteers, with members giving their time, energy and talents both on and off stage. Since the group's formation in 1980, it has raised more than £145,000 for local charities and good causes.

That fundraising tradition is at the very heart of the group.

Every rehearsal, every costume, every prop, every raffle ticket and every performance contributes towards creating a successful show - but ultimately, it is the audience who make the fundraising possible.

By coming along to Curtain Call, audiences won't simply be buying a ticket to a musical. They will be helping two important local charities continue their work supporting people when they need it most.

So come along, take your seat, switch off your phone and prepare to step behind the curtain…

There will be laughter. There will be music. There will be a little backstage mayhem.

And most importantly, there will be a community coming together to support its community.

Curtain Call - A New Musical

Thursday 29 October – Sunday 1 November 2026

St Francis' College Theatre, Letchworth Garden City

Come for the show.

Stay for the cause.