Cambridge University Footlights Dramatic Club, commonly referred to simply as the
Footlights, is an amateur theatrical club in
Cambridge, England founded in 1883, run by the students of
Cambridge University and
Anglia Ruskin University.
The club grew in prominence in the 1960s, as a hotbed of comedy and satire, and continues to produce the regular and very popular Smokers at the ADC Theatre - an informal mixture of sketches and stand-up. Footlights also produces regular plays and sketch shows.
The careers of many prominent figures in the world of entertainment began in Footlights — while prominent figures in other careers also took part in Footlights. They include
The elected leader of Cambridge University Footlights Dramatic Club is known as the Footlights President. There is also a Vice President. Past presidents have included The Goodies members Tim Brooke-Taylor and Graeme Garden, as well as Peter Cook, Hugh Laurie, David Mitchell, Tony Slattery, and Monty Python member Eric Idle, who was first to allow women to join the Footlights.
