About Us

Rutland Musical Theatre was founded in 1980 by a small group of people who were keen to start the first ‘Musical Theatre’ society in the county.

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Founders George Baldwin, Joan Walton, John Hackett and Christopher Richardson came to the idea not only because of a love of music and theatre generally, but also to preserve the name of Rutland - which at the time was under threat. Their first production was Showboat, performed at Uppingham Theatre in April 1981 to much acclaim. Since then the Company has gone from strength to strength and is now a well respected part of the Rutland arts scene.
 

The company has become a registered charity (No:513497) and performs a major musical production each year. With the exception of Oliver! (1990), Tom Jones (2012), Fiddler on the Roof (2022), and Kinky Boots (2023), RMT has always performed at Uppingham Theatre.

 

During the pandemic, it was announced that Rutland Musical Theatre would be moving their production of Fiddler on the Roof to The Core at The Corby Cube, and they returned to this impressive venue again in 2023 for the stiletto-stomping showstopper, Kinky Boots.
 

Previous productions have ranged from the classics such as Oklahoma, My Fair Lady and Fiddler on the Roof to the more contemporary musicals such as Legally Blonde, Footloose and of course, Kinky Boots.
 

In every production, there are more than 90 people on average that are involved, from cast, production crew, orchestra and front of house. Each year this number
soars even further, as we welcome more and more members to our dedicated theatre family.
 

John Hackett is the President of Rutland Musical Theatre. John has performed with RMT 19 times and has directed a whopping 19 productions. John has either been in or seen every single production RMT have produced - some even more than once! He goes on to explain:
 

“My wife Christine (who was also a founding member) performed in the first 16 shows, then took on the Front of House Manager’s position for 16 years and was Patron’s secretary for about 30 years. She was also a tower of strength for me in the many hours I spent plotting moves and all other jobs associated with directing a show. We have had many talented people appear on the stage with us, some of who have
gone on to professional roles."