Hopefully the questions below should answer any questions you have about OULES. If not, please E-mail our president, Lily.

The Oxford University Light Entertainment Society (OULES) is a non-profit making group dedicated to putting on shows for those who cannot normally travel to the theatre, taking plays to special needs schools, hospitals and retirement homes. We are a small, informal group and aim to encourage first time actors, directors and writers. In other words: we put on silly plays with silly people for good reasons.

No! We take anyone, whatever their experience or ability. We pride ourselves on being the least serious drama group in Oxford, and we spend a good deal of time eating biscuits and having a laugh.

But that doesn't mean our plays aren't worth seeing: we have great scripts, wonderful directors and songwriters, and a collection of very talented actors who accidentally found their way in. Besides, it's loads of fun watching a play when everyone on-stage is clearly enjoying themselves!

No. You want OUDS for that. Everything we do is Lightly Entertaining. See?

Well each term we put on a show - a Lightly Entertaining one as you might have guessed! From our ranks we pull together a script, directors, producers, musicians, and (importantly) a cast and put on a show in 8th Week from which the proceeds go to a deserving cause.

We also try to take versions of our shows to schools and old people's homes around Oxford to bring comedy and theatre to those who might not normally get to go and see it.

Obviously this changes from year to year, but that's the jist of things. For an idea of what we did in the past, see our past shows for a list of what we've done so far, or come along and join us to find out what's happening now!

Get in touch! E-mail the president, or sign up to our mailing lists. You could also check the news page to see if there are any auditions coming up. These will generally be at the beginning of every term, but contact us any time; we'll usually be able to fit you in somewhere and we love having new OULES!

Here are some questions we get asked regularly. Or used to get asked regularly. Or imagine people would ask us regularly if we didn't have a list of them on the website. And a picture of a duck.

The origins of OULES are lost in the mists of space and time. Also they are lost since the society folded some time in the mid-90s, but before that legend has it that a band of nutters flourished and performed wonderful comedy of the genuinely amusing variety, and some people believe that Rowan Atkinson and Oscar Wilde were members.

OULES was refounded in Michaelmas term 1999 by one James Needham who is also wanted in connection with similar deeds in Cambridge. Auditions for our first production, Dick Whittington, were duly held and we managed to cobble together a cast in time for our dress rehearsal.

We've now grown to the extent that we need to write new parts into plays so everyone who wants can have one. Somehow we still always achieve that last-minute panic, though, when a fairy has the flu, we lose our venue at the last minute, half the cast can't find the school, the king doesn't get up in time, etc etc. But the show must, and always does, go on. I'd say they are always brilliant, but I'm probably biased!