The Ridgeway Theatre Company is named after the ancient trackway which passes through the village. It was formed in 1998 by Charlotte Mannion and a number of other local enthusiasts.

Our first production was Oh, What a Lovely War! to mark the 80th anniversary of the 1918 Armistice, and to raise money for the Friends of Holy Cross.  This is a group which helps to maintain the village church. £2000 was donated to the renovation of the roof.

In 1999 the Company staged Under Milk Wood.  We raised £1800 for the Tomas Sands Appeal, a fund set up in memory of a local boy to support CALM, the respite care charity.

The 2000 production was Cold Comfort Farm and raised a similar sum for the Swindon Young  Carers.

For 2001, the play was Our Town, by Thornton Wilder.  Again we raised about £1800 - this time for the Swindon Women's Refuge.

In 2002 we staged Much Ado About Nothing, and returned to our original charity, The Friends  of Holy Cross, raising £1500.

In 2003 Lynda Farrington directed Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw. Possibly our most successful production yet raised £2000 for the Meningitis Research Foundation.

In 2004 we staged our first original play - Waiting for Panto was written by company member Mike Williams and brilliantly combines the drama or Hamlet with pantomime Alladin.

2005’s show was This Happy Breed - Noel Coward’s story of a typical family between the first and second world wars.

Last year we staged When We Are Married by JB Priestley

All productions are staged in the Church of the Holy Cross in Chiseldon. It is a traditional Norman church with Saxon origins dating back over 1000 years.

The staging has to be built after the Remembrance Service on Sunday, and dismantled after the following Saturday's performance (before the cast party!). Oh, What a Lovely War! used the Chancel steps as its focal point; Under Milk Wood, Cold Comfort Farm, Pygmalion & Waiting for Panto were staged around the Font. The 2001 and 2002 productions were 'in the round'. For 2005 onwards, we returned to the Chancel steps - using the church the “right” way around

Staging and lighting are done by Mike Williams and by Phil Belton, the only practising professional in the Company.