This year marks the hundredth anniversary of a lively Hampstead Garden Suburb theatre company. Miriam Craig finds out about their history and how they have been celebrating

Within a year of the first houses being constructed in Hamsptead Garden Suburb in 1907, an amateur dramatic production was formed in the area.

Eleven productions of A Midsummer Night's Dream, seven of Alice in Wonderland and six of Pygmalion have been among the works on stage over the past 100 years, with William Shakespeare, George Bernard Shaw and Noel Coward proving the most popular playwrights.

This year it seems Garden Suburb Theatre (GST) is trying to outdo all previous records by putting on at least one show a month.

Chairman Terry Rogers says: "That's easier said than done - it means we might be rehearsing for one show while putting on another. But the more we do, the more energy and momentum that will create to get more people involved."

The centenary calendar has already included an improvisation workshop, a performance by the society's president Sir Donald Sinden, and productions of Around the World in 80 Days and What the Butler Saw.

Next on the list are an outdoor production of Romeo and Juliet and a one-act play festival called Mischief in the Wood, featuring amateur dramatics groups from as far afield as Ireland.

It seems "mischief" might be just the right word for the event. GST members' recollections from previous productions include insecurely fixed moustaches, heroic ad-libbing, not-so-heroic episodes of giggles on stage, and the excitement provided by one cast member when, during a dull passage of Shaw's In Good King Charles's Golden Days, his trousers fell down unexpectedly.

One of the company's longest-standing members, Robert Jayes, remembers rehearsing a passionate kiss with his co-star, when her husband walked through the front door. Taking in the scene, all he said was: "Hello Robert, would you like a sherry?"

Joyce Jayes, who joined the group with her husband more than 50 years ago, remembers a performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream in which Titania was draped gracefully on her flowery bed when it started to rain. A sympathetic member of the audience got up and covered the Queen of the Fairies with a large tartan rug, and the performance continued.

Although Mrs Jayes admits it's often the most fun when things go wrong, she insists the company always goes to great lengths to prevent those moments of chaos.

She says: "It's a hobby, but it's one we take quite seriously. We give it all we've got, and then when it's over we carry on with our day jobs. It's provided us with a way of life and many long-standing friends."

Mischief in the Wood takes place at Little Oak Wood Outdoor Theatre, in Addison Way, Hampstead Garden Suburb, on Friday, July 11, from 7.30pm to 9.30pm and Saturday, July 12, from 3pm until 9.30pm. Entry is free and audience members can come and go as they please.

Romeo and Juliet will be performed at Little Oak Wood from July 14 to 19. Tickets cost £7.50 (concessions £6) and are available by calling 020 7723 6609.