What is Peterborough Gang Show?

Some of you may have visited Peterborough Gang Show as an audience member before, some of you may never have even heard of it!

Peterborough Gang Show is a show where members of Scouting (and new this year – Guiding!) rehearse together and put on a show at the Key Theatre. The show contains a variety of numbers which last for around 10-15 minutes each, creating a show that is approximately 2 hours in length. These numbers (and previous examples of each) may be West End shows – such as Matilda, popular songs, songs through the ages, front of curtain funny sketches, or pantomime style numbers. We try to ensure that every show really does have something for everyone, and each year we ask our cast, crew and audience for their feedback and ideas for future shows!

Register here!

More information

  • Our information evening will take place on 16th May 2025, 7pm at Brookside Methodist Church, 40 Gunthorpe Road, PE4 7TG. Come along to find out more information and see whether Gang Show is for you – there's no pressure if it’s not!

  • Register your interest here so that we know roughly how many of you to expect -https://forms.office.com/e/cPCJBdPNME

  • If you can’t make our information evening but would like to be involved, please complete the above form and we will add you to our mailing list.

  • Rehearsals will begin mid-June and will run through to the show, which will take place at the Key Theatre from 10th – 14th November.

  • 10th November will be a dress rehearsal at The Key Theatre. Times to be confirmed.

  • We will have evening shows from 11th – 14th November, with 11th November show starting at 5:30-6pm and 12th – 14th starting at 7pm.

  • Most rehearsals will take place at Brookside Methodist Church, Gunthorpe on Friday evenings from 6:30-8:30pm for our Main Gang (10–13-year-olds) and from 6:30-9pm for our Senior gang (14+).

  • Junior gang rehearsals (8–10-year-olds) will take place mainly at Brookside Methodist Church from 6:30-8pm.

  • If any parents would like to stay in the building during rehearsals, we have a separate space that you are welcome to wait in, which will also hold our ‘Coffee pot’.

  • We will always be grateful for help, so if any parents would like to support us, please complete this form - https://forms.office.com/e/nxyq8AkwQx

  • Our ‘Coffee pot’ is a tuck-shop style set up, selling refreshments for cast members, team members and parents for a small fee. Any profit made from this goes to restocking the ‘Coffee pot’, and then into the show!

  • You must be 8 years old or over by 10th November 2025 to participate in this y

    ear’s Gang Show.

  • You must be an active member of Guiding or Scouting to participate in the show.

    You will be asked for your leader’s name and signature prior to rehearsals

    starting. This will be checked with leaders throughout the rehearsal period, as

    you must remain an active member until the shows to be able to participate.

    This means you must continue to attend your section meetings. Gang Show

    cannot be your only form of Scouting or Guiding.

  • All over 18 cast and crew members must hold a valid Scouting or Guiding DBS

    and have relevant training up to date for their role (including safeguarding).

  • You must be prepared to sign our code of conduct and follow it.

  • You must complete the health forms before you will be allowed to attend.

  • The cost is £30 per cast member, which covers all rehearsals, show week and

    most costumes.

  • You will be asked to sign our code of conduct. We expect you to follow this, and

    we will have conversations with cast members/parents where this is not

    followed. We will do everything we can to come to a resolution for this, however,

    if it continues, we reserve the right to remove your place from the show.

  • You will attend as many rehearsals as possible.

  • In September/October, we will hold our first half run through, second half run

    through, full run through and dress parade. You MUST attend all 4 of these,

    which will take place on Sunday afternoons. The dates will be given to you at our

    get together/information evening.

  • You will inform the team if you are unable to attend a rehearsal, with as much

    notice as possible to allow plans to be changed if necessary.

  • You will practice at home, so that you remember as much as possible between

    rehearsals.

  • We encourage all cast members to sell raffle tickets for us to help us with

    fundraising, this allows us to keep the cost of participating as low as possible.

  • We also ask for your support in promoting the show via sharing our social media

    posts, putting up flyers in your local area, and encouraging friends and family to

    buy tickets to see you perform!

  • Each cast member will be asked to provide some self-dress items, usually these

    are things such as black trousers, jeans, white shirts, etc. You should have all

    these items at home already, and if you don’t, we often have a few in the store

    that we can lend you. We just recognise that items like these are often more

    comfortable if they are yours!

  • We do ask that you purchase a pair of black jazz dance shoes (or black character

    dance shoes for our senior females), and occasionally white jazz dance shoes.

    However, this will be confirmed later, so please don’t purchase them until

    confirmed. Again, we have a small stock of these, so if you don’t own them and

    there are any financial issues with purchasing them, please do speak to us!

  • A rehearsal schedule at our information evening which will contain the dates and

    times of rehearsals, social events and fundraisers.

  • Organised rehearsals, and a clear idea of any that you do not need to attend –

    i.e. if the focus in on the senior number, Scouts & Cubs will know they do not

    need to attend.

  • A real fun atmosphere, where we work hard, but we also love to socialise.

  • Breaks at set times every rehearsal where you can visit the ‘Coffee Pot’ or

    socialise with your new friends!

  • Opportunities to socialise away from rehearsals, at social events that we will

    give you the dates to during our information evening.

  • A fundraising team (which we would love parents help with!) who will organise

    fundraising events to ensure that the show can run!

  • Costumes provided to you for the show which are fitted to you by our team, and

    a self-dress costume list provided by September.

  • Scenery built by our backstage team.

  • The opportunity to audition for solo speaking or singing parts, or the opportunity

    to audition in a small group if you are more comfortable with this. (Only if you

    want to!)

  • The opportunity to audition for dance team parts.

  • Every cast member will have the opportunity to sing and dance within the show

    as a group.

  • A team that listens and will take your feedback on board.