Swindon gang show 2026

Swindon Gangshow is back and we’re putting on a full show at the Swindon Arts Centre in November 2026. We’re looking for cast to take part in our next full show at the Swindon Arts Centre in November 2026, and we’ll be celebrating 50 years of gang show in Swindon!

Who can take part?

Our main gang is open to cubs and all older sections from Swindon North and Swindon Ridgeway, as well as brownies and all older sections from Wiltshire North Guiding.

The mini-gang is open to members of Scouting & Guiding who will be 5 or older at the start of rehearsals, and they will be performing in their own item in the 1st half of the show.

You do not have to have been involved in Gangshow in the past, if you want to perform then come along!

When is it?

The main gang will be rehearsing at Ruskin School on:

  • Sunday afternoons from 6th September – 22nd November
  • Wednesday evenings from 7th October – 18th November   

The mini gang will be rehearsing at Ruskin School on:

  • Sunday afternoons from 4th October – 22nd November   

There will be no rehearsals on Sunday 25th or Wednesday 28th October during half-term. 

Theatre week The concert will take place at Swindon Arts Centre

  • Mon 23rd & Tues 24th November – Dress rehearsals at the theatre
  • Wed 25th – Fri 27th November – Evening performances
  • Sat 28th November – Afternoon matinee & evening performance

Our young people are interested, do we need to send leaders?

NO!!!!

It would be fantastic if your whole group showed up with leaders in tow, but its not required. If you have young people interested in taking part then they will be looked after by the production team as well as the Scout and Guide leaders in the show.

Anything else I need to know?

We’re asking the cast to provide their own outfit for the performance that consists of:

  • Top half Scouting or Guiding uniform 
  • Smart black trousers to wear with the uniform
  • Plain black shoes or daps – no sparkle or logos
  • Plain black socks

In addition, during our time in the theatre all cast members will need to wear either shorts and vest top or leotard which will be worn under all your costumes. If you have any problems providing this then please get in touch as we do have some spare items that we can let cast members use.

We are asking all cast members to pay a subscription of £10 a month to help some of the costs of putting on the show. We also need lots of people to come along and watch so let everyone know you’re going to be on stage and get lots of people along to watch!

Taking part can also help you earn badges and awards. Cubs can get the Entertainers badge, and tick off some of the parts of the Our Skills Challenge Award, which is needed to get the Chief Scout’s Silver AwardScouts can also earn their Entertainers badge, as well as contributing to the Scouts Creative Challenge Award, which is needed to get the Chief Scout’s Gold Award.

Sounds great, how do I sign up?

Fill in the online form here and we’ll see you at rehearsals!

Christmas Concert 2024

Swindon Gangshow is back and we’re putting on a Christmas Concert on Friday 13th December at Swindon Academy. We are looking to recruit a cast to put on a variety show of Christmas songs and sketches, with the opportunity for some group solos and a little bit of movement on the jazzier numbers!

Who can take part?

Our main gang is open to cubs and all older sections from Swindon North and Swindon Ridgeway, as well as brownies and all older sections from Wiltshire North Guiding.

The mini-gang is open to members of Scouting & Guiding who will be 5 or older at the start of rehearsals, and they will be performing in their own item in the 1st half of the show.

You do not have to have been involved in Gangshow in the past, if you want to perform then come along!

When is it?

The main gang will be rehearsing at Kingsdown School on:

  • Wednesday 20th November 6.30 – 8:30pm
  • Wednesday 27th November 6.30 – 8:30pm
  • Wednesday 4th December 6.30 – 8:30pm
  • Wednesday 11th December 6.30 – 8.30pm

The mini gang will be rehearsing at Kingsdown School on:

  • Wednesday 4th December 6.30 – 7.15pm
  • Wednesday 11th December 6.30 – 7.15pm

The concert will be at Swindon Academy on Beech Avenue.

  • Friday 9th December
    • 6.45 – 7.45pm – mini gang
    • 6.45 – 9.00pm – main gang

Our young people are interested, do we need to send leaders?

NO!!!!

It would be fantastic if your whole group showed up with leaders in tow, but its not required. If you have young people interested in taking part then they will be looked after by the production team as well as the Scout and Guide leaders in the show.

Anything else I need to know?

We’re asking the cast to provide their own outfit for the performance that consists of:

  • A plain black t-shirt, shirt or top
  • Dark (preferably black) trousers or leggings
  • Dark footwear

Gangshow will be providing a sparkly Necker to complete the outfit.

We are asking all cast members to pay a subscription of £5 to help some of the costs of putting on the show. We also need lots of people to come along and watch so let everyone know you’re going to be on stage and get lots of people along to watch!

Taking part can also help you earn badges and awards. Cubs can get the Entertainers badge, and tick off some of the parts of the Our Skills Challenge Award, which is needed to get the Chief Scout’s Silver Award. Scouts can also earn their Entertainers badge, as well as contributing to the Scouts Creative Challenge Award, which is needed to get the Chief Scout’s Gold Award.

Sounds great, how do I sign up?

Fill in the online form here and we’ll see you at rehearsals!

There’s still time to join the gang!

We’ve had two excellent rehearsals so far and we’re now on a break over the summer holidays, but there is still time to sign up and join the cast for the show at the Wyvern theatre in November. We will be accepting new cast members until our first rehearsal back on Sunday the 3rd of September.

Join the gang here!

Our show is open to members of Swindon North & Ridgeway Scouting Districts and Wiltshire North Guiding County who will be 8 or older by the time of the show in November 2023. If you are from a different district but would still like to be part of the show then please get in touch.

Once you sign up you will automatically receive an email with some additional information, and you’ll be added to our mailing list to receive info about rehearsals.

Full details on the rehearsal schedule are available on dates page.

Join the gang here!

Taster Day 2023

On Sunday 25th of June, we will be running a taster session at Kingsdown School, before rehearsals start for our upcoming show at the Wyvern theatre in November 2023.

Anyone who wants to be in the show or is interested in finding out what gang show is all about should head to our taster session to see what it’s all about. If you have a spare hour, come along and see what all the fuss is about.

The taster session is open to cubs and brownies and older, but be aware that our main show is open to members of Swindon North & Ridgeway Scouting Districts and Wiltshire North Guiding County who will be 8 or older by the time of the show in November 2023. 

Register for the taster day here.

Everyone is invited to our main session from 2:30 – 3:30pm, where we’ll start with some warm ups and then move on to learning some singing and movement to one of the songs from our upcoming show.

We will also be running optional 20 minute showcase slots before and after the main session for you to show off your talents that we can use in the show. Take the opportunity to let us know how well you sing, show off a prepared dance routine or demo your acting skills.

Register for the taster day here.

If you can’t make the taster day and still want to get info about our next show, you can still fill in the form – just select the appropriate option!

Full details on the rehearsal schedule are available on dates page.

Christmas Concert 2022

Swindon Gangshow is back and we’re putting on a Christmas Concert on Friday 9th December at Swindon Academy. We are looking to recruit a cast to put on a variety show of Christmas songs and sketches, with the opportunity for some group solos and a little bit of movement on the jazzier numbers!

Who can take part?

The show is open to all members of Swindon North or Ridgeway Scout Districts and Wiltshire North Guides who are 7 years or older.

You do not have to have been involved in Gangshow in the past, if you want to perform then come along!

When is it?

The cast will be rehearsing at Swindon Academy on Beech Avenue. on:

  • Wednesday 23rd November 6.30 – 8:30pm
  • Wednesday 30th November 6.30 – 8:30pm
  • Wednesday 7th December 6.30 – 8:30pm

The concert will be at Swindon Academy on Beech Avenue.

  • Friday 9th December 6.15 – 8.45pm

Our young people are interested, do we need to send leaders?

NO!!!!

It would be fantastic if your whole group showed up with leaders in tow, but its not required. If you have young people interested in taking part then they will be looked after by the production team as well as the Scout and Guide leaders in the show.

Anything else I need to know?

We’re asking the cast to provide their own outfit for the performance that consists of:

  • A plain black t-shirt, shirt or top
  • Dark (preferably black) trousers or leggings
  • Dark footwear

Gangshow will be providing a sparkly Necker to complete the outfit.

We are asking all cast members to pay a subscription of £5 to help some of the costs of putting on the show. We also need lots of people to come along and watch so let everyone know you’re going to be on stage and get lots of people along to watch!

Taking part can also help you earn badges and awards. Cubs can get the Entertainers badge, and tick off some of the parts of the Our Skills Challenge Award, which is needed to get the Chief Scout’s Silver Award. Scouts can also earn their Entertainers badge, as well as contributing to the Scouts Creative Challenge Award, which is needed to get the Chief Scout’s Gold Award.

Sounds great, how do I sign up?

Fill in the online form here and we’ll see you at rehearsals!

Postponement of the 2020 show

It is with a very heavy heart that we write this post. As a result of the instructions issued from both the Scout Association and Girl Guiding UK, alongside the Government recommendation to avoid non-essential social contact we cannot proceed with our planned 2020 Gang Show.

This will be devastating to all involved and we thank all of our cast and crew for their hard work and commitment that they have given every Sunday since we started rehearsals in January.

Moving forward, we must make sure that we do everything we can to keep everybody safe and that includes our audience. We do intend to reschedule this show so that all the hard work will not be wasted, but timing will be dependent on re-booking with the Wyvern Theatre.