Croydon's Charity Amateur Dramatic Society

Entertaining You Since 1943

The home of Musicals & Drama for Croydon, CODA (Croydon Operatic and Dramatic Association) stages a variety of exciting musical and drama productions at the Ashcroft Theatre and various other venues in and around Croydon & Sutton each year.

CODA is an active charity whose main aims are to advance the public education by cultivating the dramatic and musical arts and to stimulate the public taste in those arts, to promote the production of dramatic and musical works that have an educative value, and to raise funds on behalf of other charities in Croydon.

Active in the borough since 1943, CODA believes the arts play an essential role in our everyday lives, our cultural identity and our economy. Performance art inspires, challenges and educates us.  CODA works to promote the wider positive impact art has on society and support more organisations to benefit individuals and communities through their work.

CODA and its members also promote the philosophy that the fine arts provide non-academic benefits such as promoting self-esteem, motivation, aesthetic awareness, cultural exposure, creativity, improved emotional expression, as well as social harmony and appreciation of diversity.

Some of the charity partners from CODA’s past are Great Ormond Street Hospital, Cancer Research UK, and The Mayor Of Croydon’s Charity.

Not only are we a community group that produces professional quality shows and events, we are also a very sociable group with many social events throughout the year.  We welcome individuals from all walks of life with a desire to not just tread the boards, but also those that wish to work backstage and as part of our production teams.  If you are looking to join one of the best amateur dramatic groups in the area, then look no further.  CODA offers varied roles and responsibilities both on and off stage and our members always welcome newcomers and offer training in all aspects of theatrical production.

Our musical productions have included highly acclaimed performances of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma!, Stephen Sondheim's Sweeny Todd, Gershwin's Crazy For You, Seussical, Chess, Disney's Beauty & The Beast, FAME The Musical, and West Side Story just to name a few.

Our dramatic play productions such as Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, Michael Frayn's hit comedy Noises Off, Charles Webb's adaptation of The Graduate and Mike Leigh's Abigail's Party have also met with high praise from both critics and audiences alike.

As well as entertaining audiences with our musicals and dramas, we also provide a range of entertainment for private and corporate events under our CODA4Hire. We offer cabaret performances, murder mystery events, Old Time Music Hall shows and much, much more.

So, come see why CODA has built a fantastic reputation for top quality productions in and around Croydon for over 70 years!