About
The Smycms is an amateur musical society based in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Established for over 45 years we present an annual show at the Church Hill Theatre in the city.
OUR HISTORY
In 1963, Elizabeth Fyfe and Colin MacDonald were asked to form a Musical Group from the youth club at St. Michael’s Church, Slateford Road, Edinburgh – and The Smycms were born. The name stood for St Michael’s Youth Club Musical Section. As this was a bit long winded someone had the bright idea of turning it into an acronym which could be said out loud and from then on they would be known as ‘The Smycms’, with the advancement of the years, the youth club element of the society has gradually faded but the orginal acronym remains.
From modest beginnings in the church hall with Swingalong in 1963, ten years later in 1973 the company had moved to the more grander surroundings of Edinburgh’s Church Hill Theatre to present the Edinburgh Amateur Premiere of Fiddler On The Roof. Since then, the company has gone from strength to strength and Elizabeth Fyfe remains President of the company she founded over 45 years ago.
OUR COMMITTEE
The Committee are responsible for making things run smoothly, well as smoothly as possible, from engaging a production team to supplying (and sometimes serving ) the tea and biscuits at rehearsals. They are also responsible for advertising, marketing, program design, ticket sales and would you believe it still find time to appear on stage.
The Committee is made up of four company members and a Chairman, and usually serve a minimum of 3 years after which they may stand for re-election for a further term. The current Committee is made up of the following sucke… ehr stalwart individuals.
Paul Findlay - Chairman 
Paul has been with the Smycms since their inception in 1963. He has a keen love for the group as an entity and for the individuals that make it up, even though the company changes from year to year. He’s seen a lot of changes since the beginning, but still feels strongly that the Smycms are the best Am-Dram group in Edinburgh, and works inumerable hours to keep it that way.
Paul is currently responsible for organising ticket distribution to company members, and committee meetings are held tound his dining table. and he serves as Treasurer. Paul also owns Fanelli’s Deli in Colinton, which serves as the Smycms Box Office.
Paul Whyte 
Paul is the PR secretary, handling all the Smycms printed material, designing and arranging flyers, posters for issue to promote our productions. He also arranges the Programme selling advertising and making sure all the necessary information is in the right place before it goes into print. It is also usually Paul that will accost you to buy a raffle ticket for our weekly fundraising draw (here’s how it works – at rehearsals you pay £1 for a ticket and you get a tea or coffee and biscuits and the chance to win a bottle of wine.)
Tony McDonald 
Tony is the Smycms fund raiser and social secretary, spearheading and documenting many of the social events. Details can be found at www.sonsofsmycms.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk
Elizabeth Kenyon 
Elizabeth who has been with The Smycms since 2005, has joined the committee on a trial basis just to see if she likes it. She is currently involved in resurrecting the Smycms wardrobe.
OUR PRODUCTION TEAM
The Production Team take the words and notes of a script and magically turn them into a show that we’re all proud of by the time it hits the stage. The three components of our Production Team are - Artistic Director, Musical Director and Choreographer.
Artistic Director – Ian Hunter
The Artistic Director is in charge of the acting (Dahling) as well as managing the overall Production, arranging meetings with the other team members, as well as overseeing the sound, lighting, props and much, much more, PHEW!!. Further details to follow.
Musical Director – Alison Rushworth
Alison joined The Smycms Production Team in 2005. She brought a wealth of musical skills and has recently played on stage in her own right, she is quite a virtuoso on the violin. Alison will once again be lifting her baton ( and her violin we hope) as she conducts our forth coming concert “A Night At The Musicals”.
Choreographer – Gemma Lockhart
The Choreographer’s job is a tough one. In a proffessional company you can put together a dance and expect the dancers to learn it quickly. With an amateur company, the Choreographer has the duties of creating the dances but also of teaching them, often to non dancers. More details to follow about Gemma.
OUR PRODUCTION TEAM HISTORY
Artistic Director
1963 – 1993 Elizabeth Fyfe
1993 – 1994 Dolores Reed
1994 – 1966 Eric Burns
1996 – 2010 Laura Reed
2010 – 2011 Malcolm J Burnett
2011 – 2012 Ian Hunter
Musical Director
1963 – 1997 Elizabeth Fyfe
1997 – 2005 Jerry Gregson
2005 – to date Alison Rushworth
Choreographer
1963 – 1993 Jeanette Fyfe
1993 - 1994 Juliet Bennet
1994 – 1999 June Geissler
1999 – 2001 Calum Ingram
2001 – 2002 Zoe Bellamy
2002 – 2004 June Giessler
2004 – 2008 Janice Bruce
2008 – 2010 Laura Proudfoot
2010 – 2011 Louise Heatly
2011 – 2012 Gemma Lockhart
