Donna Gale: sharing a passion for theatre

How did your group start?

It all started when my daughters were at school and I was on the parents association. I began running some trips to the West End and found that people from our area wanted to go.

The group has changed a lot in the 20 years since I started. At the beginning it was a lot of young mums and their children and whilst many of them are still in the group, we also have a lot of others who might not go to the theatre on the train but are happy going on the coach. I’m also a member of an amateur dramatics’ society and some of those people come along too.

What are your favourite shows that you’ve been to see with the group?

I really liked Hadestown which I saw this year. I didn’t know anything about but it was refreshingly different to anything I had seen before.

There are our favourites which we return to regularly. I’ve seen Phantom of the Opera so many times and I could watch it every month because it is so stirring. The Lion King is right up there too and it’s really good for all ages. Tina - The Tina Turner Musical is a very moving story and I really enjoy that.

One of my first trips was to see Starlight Express back when it was at the Dominion Theatre. I’ve seen it since it moved to the Troubadour Theatre at Wembley and I was very impressed by the show and the theatre which is very modern. 

Do you go on any other trips away from the theatre?

I am looking at organising trips which are doable in one day. I’ve looked at stately homes and some gardens. I went to Shaw’s Corner to find out whether that would be suitable for the group and I also went on a fact-finding trip to Audley End House and Gardens which had very good facilities so it would be really good for a day trip.

We have also been on trips to the Thursford Christmas Spectacular a few times which was very popular. I try to organise my trips for midweek as it is much more affordable, particularly the coach hire.

What is your favourite thing about your role?

I love making people happy and delivering what I’ve promised them. I love the organising process too, that’s finding a good deal and finding good seats for the group.

It gives me a buzz and I try to organise things well in advance and then I have time to hook people and get them interested so they have something to look forward to in three or four months’ time.

“My mission is always to find the best deal that I can for my group.”

My group members keep coming back and they’re very loyal so I would like to think they trust me and what I organise for them. There is nothing better than coming out of a show and the group saying, “Thank you, we had such lovely seats.”

Do you have any helpful tips for other people who organise trips?

Try to plan as much as you can. It’s also useful to plan where everyone is sat on the bus and at the show, so it is all smooth when they arrive. I think it’s good to keep the coach pick-up points to a minimum because people want to get home as soon as they can when the day is finished.

What is the main challenge when organising theatre trips?

The biggest challenge is often booking shows that people don’t know anything about. I like to get to the new shows, but it is harder to sell them when people haven’t seen them. It can be a bit of a gamble sometimes and can be hard to judge whether it is right for the group.