Your Midlands and Shropshire Am Dram round-up

With this in mind, over at the Crescent Theatre in Birmingham, Impulse Productions, who in recent years have presented some superb modern musicals including Rent, In the Heights and Hair, will be performing another Broadway hit, Side Show from August 1-4.

Based on the true story of conjoined twins and famed entertainers Violet and Daisy Hilton, Side Show is a remarkable musical about acceptance, love, and embracing one’s uniqueness.

As the starring act of a sideshow, helmed by an abusive ringmaster, Violet and Daisy Hilton are eager to accept an offer of fame, fortune, and potential romance proffered by Terry, a talent scout, and Buddy, a budding musician. As stars on the Orpheum Circuit, it seems that Violet and Daisy have everything they ever wanted. The one thing they lack, however is love.

Different as they are, when it comes to matters of the heart, Daisy and Violet have the same burning questions: “Who could proudly stand beside me? Who will love me as I am?”

The show is almost entirely song-led, and features soulful music, stunningly beautiful lyrics, and powerhouse show-stoppers, including the duets Who Will Love Me as I Am and I Will Never Leave You as well as The Devil You Know and Say Goodbye to the Side Show.

It may appear on the surface to be unusual subject matter for a musical, but believe me, it will touch your heart.

l For tickets, priced at £16 each, visit www.cresent-theatre.co.uk or call 0121 643 5858.

One of the am dram groups I enjoy hearing from is The LADS (Llanymynech Amateur Dramatic Society) who, for more than 20 years have been bringing live theatre to their surrounding area, winning awards and growing their audiences from as far away as Oswestry, Welshpool and Shrewsbury.

They perform a variety of different styles and types of plays; from light comedies to serious drama, new plays to period pieces and although they strive to be as professional as possible, they still retain that element of fun and friendliness which is the key to successful amateur theatre.

The group is currently seeking new members to take part in their next production – Dylan Thomas’s Under Milkwood, a stunning play in which a narrator depicts the innermost thoughts of the residents of the Welsh village of Llareggub.

Meet Mrs Ogmore-Pritchard, relentlessly nagging her two dead husbands; Captain Cat, reliving his seafaring times; the two Mrs Dai Breads; Organ Morgan, obsessed with his music; and Polly Garter, pining for her dead lover. Under Milkwood is the perfect vehicle for am dram, offering plenty of small roles.

Moving on, Alison Utting, an actress and committee member from the LADS has won a key role in a local film project called Run for Your Life, which is a community feature film tackling the subject of bullying. Produced by Rocking Horse Studios, it will be filmed in the Shropshire area and Wales over the next few months. Alison will be playing the role of Gwen, a college lecturer who gets into a tricky situation when her brother tries to help an autistic student from a troubled background.

“I was helped enormously by the workshops and tuition that we had in in the LADS. Their advice was really help and I can’t wait to start work,” says Alison.

Well done guys. Success all round.

l For more information on the group visit www. http://www.ladstheatre.co.uk

There are several theatre projects and workshops across the region to keep the youngsters amused over the long summer holidays. Let’s face it, six weeks is a long time to fill, so if they enjoy theatre and learn some new skills while Mum and Dad are working, it’s a win, win situation!

A new amateur group, Stourport Youth Theatre, is seeking 11-17-year olds to join them every Monday evening from 7pm-9pm to work on their acting, dancing and singing talents.

Celebrations

As Stourport Civic Hall is marking its 50th anniversary very soon, the young performers will be showcasing their talents as part of the town’s celebrations and so there is plenty of hard work to come, but I know they will love it!

l For more information on the group, contact Tenadancmakers68@hotmail.com or call 07943566699.

Finally this week, it’s always a sad time when a member of a group has to leave and move on and sometimes – even if they have been with you for just a short period of time – it’s a shame.

Telford and District Light Operatic Players are feeling that way, as they wave goodbye and good luck to their rehearsal pianist, Nykko Gregoire, who has worked with the group since 2011, but who is off to tour the world, stopping off at Malaysia and the USA.

“We will be very sad to see Nykko go, as he makes everyone smile with his infectious laughter and kind words,” says spokesperson for TADLOP, Lyndsey Bird. “The committee cannot express their thanks enough to Nykko for all his hard work and dedication over the years. We are now looking for a pianist who is free on a Wednesday and Sunday evening and has experience in both playing and reading music,” she added.

l Do you fit the bill? To be part of this friendly group of talented amateur performers, visit www.tadlop.com, visit the group’s Facebook page or email Lyndsey at birdlyndsey@hotmail.com

l Well that’s all for this week. Keep those emails and good quality colour photos coming to a.norton@expressandstar.co.uk, call me on 01902 319662 or follow me on Twitter @AlisonNorton