The stage has been set at Knutsford Little Theatre for 80 years. In that time theatregoers have laughed and cried at thousands of productions and familiar faces have come and gone.

But for many of the volunteers involved, the feeling of stepping on to the tiny and unique Queen Street stage for the opening night of a performance or taking their place to play a vital role behind the scenes is just as nerve-racking now as it was first time round.

"Once the auditorium starts filling up you do find yourself breaking into a sweat," said Little Theatre chairman John Fuller. "It is a totally different feeling to rehearsals and even after 30 years I still feel the same every time."

Nerves may be rife in the 104-seater theatre in the minutes counting down to curtain up, but once on stage there is no better feeling for the dedicated team of actors, actresses and stage crew as they put six weeks of hard work, grit and determination in rehearsals into a fun-filled show.

Sadly, in recent years, the number of volunteers willing to lend a hand both on stage and off stage has dwindled, particularly the number of men.

Mr Fuller, who helps to organise the lighting for each production, believes that people are just too busy nowadays to be able to help out.

"There are too many distractions for people today," said the 60-year-old. "The pressures of life are a lot more now and our time seems to be consumed a lot more with working and travelling about.

"Years ago it was not like that because you would just go to work, finish at a set time and come home to have tea and your evening would be free of things to do."

But the show must go on so the volunteers have battled on regardless of the shortage of male actors and stage crew to help backstage constructing and painting sets, creating mini disks full of music and sound effects and arranging the lighting.

Where they can, women have stood in for the men. But in some cases a lack of manpower is to blame for shows being cancelled. Only two months ago Charley's Aunt was axed because of a shortage of men.

"The same thing happened the year before when we had to cancel a play," said Mr Fuller. "And it is frustrating for everyone involved."

But Knutsford Little Theatre is not the only amateur dramatic group to suffer from a shortage of male actors or stage crew, willing to give up their time, which can be up to three nights a week and weekends during show time.

Only last week Knutsford received an SOS from Stockton Heath Players for male actors.

"They seem to be having the same problem as us and unfortunately we do not have any to spare," said Mr Fuller. "So it is not just Knutsford having this problem. It is nationwide."

Over the years the fortunes of amateur dramatic societies across the UK has fluctuated with dwindling numbers on and off stage, lack of money and an audience that is shrinking.

But many other organisations have also struggled.

A few years ago Knutsford Lions, a group of local people who have a desire to put something back into the community, had a similar problem.

"A year or two ago we went through a difficult period," said Lions' president Pat Heath. "Two groups of people who were involved moved away and we lost a couple of other members too. "We did struggle on and the camaraderie of the group kept us going and are now lucky enough to be strong in numbers."

The Knutsford group, which only started accepting women as members 10 years ago, now has 30 members and an additional group of 20 supporters as well as a group for younger members in their 20s.

"It is a comforting thought to know that younger residents are interested in the group and want to learn about it for the future," she said. "But I think the problem nowadays is that there just are not enough volunteers to go round.

"Lifestyles have changed and so many more people are now willing to work longer hours to support themselves financially."

The Little Theatre managed to recruit a handful of volunteers to help backstage with props, lighting and sound after appealing for help through the Knutsford Guardian in June.

But it still needs many extra pairs of hands to ensure its productions run smoothly.

"At one point when I first started as a member of the stage crew we had 15 pairs of hands and we could split up the jobs between groups of four," said Mr Fuller. "That really helped because we could have one cleaning the gutter and another cutting the hedge, which were jobs that needed doing in the summer."

But despite the current problems, there is guaranteed to be no shortage of supporters in the audience tonight (Wednesday) when the theatre opens its new season with Shakers Re-Stirred - a tale of the reality that lurks behind the plastic palms and Pina Coladas in a trendy bar.

Audience numbers at the theatre are still strong with 80-85% of tickets being sold for every show - at a reasonable price.

"We have been lucky enough to keep the ticket prices at a reasonable level over the years adding only 50p on here and there," said Mr Fuller.

"There is a danger that you can overcharge people and there has to be a ceiling on the top price but then if the tickets seem too cheap to people there is also a danger that people might think the show is awful so you have to keep a balance."

When the curtain goes up on tonight's performance, first-time director James Broughton will breathe a sigh of relief.

"I'll probably feel more relaxed then," said James, 28. "The run-up to it is so intense that when you actually get to show time you do feel more relaxed."

James first became involved in the theatre by playing the guitar in Return to the Forbidden Planet and then moved on to acting.

Now after five years he is directing.

He is one of a handful of men involved, but his colleagues want to recruit more - and break the stigma attached to men in the theatre

"There is an image attached to what a theatre-goer is like and to be honest it couldn't be further from the truth," said Mr Fuller.

"People assume the theatre means acting and it does not because there are always jobs to do off the stage."

Over the years the faces have changed and so have the shows.

"Amateur dramatics is much more professional than it used to be," said 72-year-old Anne Frumin, who has been acting and directing at the Little Theatre for 40 years.

"There is a more professional attitude to it and we love having our own place here."

If you would like to become involved in the Little Theatre - on or off stage -then call 01565 633000.