MODS is the Southend Mencap Operatic and Dramatic Society.  It is a drama group for adults with learning disabilities, who meet every Wednesday evening between 6.45pm and 9pm at The St John Fisher Church on Cuckoo Corner roundabout, Southend.

Due to the popularity of the club there is usually a waiting list in operation that you can be placed on for when a position in the club becomes available but some availability is better found at the start of each year, once the previous year’s annual shows have been performed.  If you are interested in becoming part of the drama group, please contact us at Southend Mencap.

The group is run by Andrew and Georgie Watson who, with their dedicated band of volunteers, support the members in learning their own individual parts for the annual MODS performance.  The list of shows and their titles currently sits at:

2006 it was Gunshots and Golden Garters

2007 it was Pretty Petals

2008 it was Rings and Rainbows

2009 it was Paint the Sky with Stars

2010 it was Cutthroats and Coconuts

2011 it was Why do Fools Fall in Love?

2012 it was Look with your Heart

2013 it was Pretty Petals – The Musical

2014 it was The Colours of My Life

2015 it was Fallen Angel

2016 it was Silent Shadows

2017 it was From Broadway to Bognor

2018 it was Some Kind of Wonderful

2019 it was A Fistful of Feathers

Sadly in 2020 there was no show due to the Coronavirus pandemic

2021 it was a remake of Fallen Angel

2022 it was Tell it to the Rain

Up until 2012, these shows were performed at The Eastwood School Theatre and we are extremely grateful to the school for their support of the group over those early years.

However, 2013 and 2015 saw the cast perform at The Cliffs Pavilion and both shows proved that this amazing group of people deserve to be on the bigger stage.

From 2016, the shows have been performed at Westcliff’s historic Palace Theatre as this allows the students to deliver two performances per show and they are always so well received by near capacity audiences.  We are incredibly grateful to the Palace Theatre staff for all their continued kindness, support and enthusiasm for the group’s annual shows.

For a copy of the MODS flyer detailing where and when the group meet, please go to our Flyers page and select the MODS photo.