In 1973 a young leader of the 1st Salisbury Group, David Ryder, had ambitions to take his scouts to the snow fields for a winter camp. David came up with a unique fund raising venture, a Group Gang Show. Armed with an abundance of Ralph Reader material, a rent free Scout Hall and a group of eager would be performers Scout Shouts was born.

The first performance was in the newly built 1st Salisbury Scout Hall and was directed by the now legendary Mike Linscott. His support crew included his wife Carole, Barry Plush, Ken Sandford, Alan Thompson and of course Dave Ryder. All this was carefully watched over by the then Group Leader Tug Wilson, who made sure that the show maintained the Scouting First ethos.

Our shows first few years didn't really have a venue to call home for performances. Having performed at the Levels and Salisbury institute, in 1981 the decision was made to perform at the Parks Community Centre in a "theatre in the round" format. The Parks was our home until 2013 when the theatre was closed as part of a major complex overhaul which saw us move to the Golden Grove Arts Centre for our 40th season.

The move to Golden Grove has allowed us to grow with a larger theatre, increased seating capacity, large stage floor and extra space back stage which gives us the flexibility to grow and further enhance the show. The last 50 years of the show has seen amazing growth, from the first show where 180 people crammed in the newly built scout hall for a two night season to our latest season with dramatically different capacity and facilities!

The format of the show has evolved over the years from the Ralph Reader Style of stage show to a style that made the most of the Parks amphitheatre stage and now the much larger yet still intimate Golden Grove stage. The two halves of the show allow for a fully produced play in one half and a second half that features a variety of themed items produced by our Young Director program.

In 1996, Scouts Shouts left behind the Gang Show tag and officially become Scout Shouts Youth Theatre. Our success is the direct result the collaboration of Joeys, Cubs, Scouts, Venturers, Rovers and of course Guides working together to produce a very creative theatrical performance for over 50 years.