It is the poor cousin who we hide in the corner. It is the skeleton in our cupboards, the ghost which follows us and which we try to disguise as something impressive on the CV. But in London especially, where we share the same theatres, the same props, costumes, and often the same actors, we must begin to ask: where exactly does amateur theatre (amdram) end and fringe begin?

Most of us started out in amdram or go back when 'resting'. In many parts of Britain it is the only stage on offer, especially since the recent Arts Council cuts which have forced a number of non-London based theatres, such as the Northcott in Exeter, to close. As a child, my town's one professional theatre was dark for years, so I lived off the youth workshops, extravagant outdoor plays, promenade performances, murder mysteries, musicals, classics and new drama all supplied by the local amateur community. Even when the official theatre reopened, most of us still chose the more imaginative amateur shows over its turgid repertoire of comedy bills, panto and Evenings With.

There is a great sense of play within amdram, a willingness to try something new. While there is always pressure to put on a good show and make a profit, unlike in professional theatre these are not necessarily the driving forces.

Because of this, amdram attracts a surprising number of people from The Biz who want to experiment or simply enjoy themselves. A lot of BBC types spend their spare time composing, directing and fixing lights for Fleet-Street-based The Tower Theatre, for instance. Indeed, noted practitioner Gordon Craig produced some of his most startling work with amateurs; Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat for a school show; Harold Pinter started off in The Tower Theatre, and Tom Courtenay also appeared there.

Aside from the professionals, amateur theatre is also rife with those who should be, or who will be some day. The talent can be astounding, and even the least ambitious groups contain a wealth of experience stemming from a well-knit community which has learned, through years of public performance, what works and what does not.

Compare this to many fringe groups, whose actors and directors may be facing the harsh realities of theatre for the first time. In amdram, if you want lights and sound, there will be someone with a studio. Another member is bound to be a graphics designer or a PR guru. The Tower tours every year to France, and not only has translators and contacts to arrange ticket sales and school liaison, but has also wrangled sponsorship with BP because a friend-of-a-friend once worked there.

The Stock Exchange Dramatic and Operatic Society (SEDOS) tours to the City's banks, performing for returns that fringe groups dream of. The reason that amateur theatre can get gigs like these is because it is produced for the community by the community.

Amdram contains the thrill of watching colleagues on stage and the chance that you yourself might be there next time. For the single, the new-in-town and the just plain lonely, it is a fantastic way to get to know others. There are people who have met and married in these companies, and whose children now carry their mantle. Admittedly, actors who could not cross their legs without falling over can be seen treading the amateur boards, but then the same might be said for some professional shows. This is no bad thing, because drama provides a release and a chance to be something more than we usually are. This need is recognised nowadays through a myriad of initiatives such as theatre in prisons, drama therapy and community projects like Branded, run by Old Vic Education. Amateur theatre may just as likely be the product of enthusiastic outreach workers as a natural development within the local society.

Fringe theatre, claimed Sam West, contains the seeds of tomorrow's National and RSC. Amdram contains some things that should never have seen the light of day - and some others that will leave you gaping. It is a different beast to fringe, because its goals are not fame and fortune. But as long as theatre houses take it on, as long as it shares its props and costumes with the professionals, and as long as people can slide as easily as they do between them, fringe and amdram have a lot to learn from each other.

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(c) Philippa Tatham 2 April 2008

Philippa Tatham is an actor, producer and playwright.