Tickets will fly for staging of this modern classic: Your Midlands and Shropshire am dram round-up

It went out of print a year later, only to be reissued and become a best-selling book which was adapted for the silver screen in 1963 and 1990. There’s a message to all you budding script-writers and authors – never give up.

Taking place in the midst of an unspecified nuclear war zone, Lord of the Flies is the tale of the survival of a group of boys marooned on an island. While some of the boy are ordinary students, the others are part of a musical choir who have experienced a very different education. Gradually the boys descend into savagery, fighting for survival of the fittest. Left to their own devices and far from civilization, before long all the boys regress to a primitive state.

Lord of the Flies has been included on many a school curriculum and has been the subject of much deliberation over the years as its subject matter is unpleasant but thought-provoking. Maybe that’s why directors Andrew Exeter and Ricardo Alexander from Solihull Society of Arts Drama chose to perform it.

When casting, Andrew and Ricardo have included several female actors in title roles in order to promote the accessibility of the piece for all. This gender-blind casting had brought a different dynamic to the play and in some cases; the gender of the character changes with each performance.

In this production, the role of Piggy is played by Meghan Haynes, who says: “I love the fact that my Piggy is female as this has allowed us to explore a new underlying romantic tone between her and the character Ralph. I couldn’t be prouder to be part of this production which everyone has put their heart and soul into.”

Director Andrew Exeter says: “It truly is a play that has taught everyone involved, from marketing to lighting design, to the actors, just how much theatre is about teamwork.”

Catch Lord of the Flies at Alderbrook School, Solihull from August 29 to September 1.

l For tickets and more information about SSA Drama, visit www.ssadrama.com or the group’s Facebook page.

As a fan of all things Disney, I was a little dismayed to open an email from Third from the Right Productions, as they are presenting the fun-filled musical comedy Disenchanted on Sept 1-2 at Rowley Learning Campus.

Telling me to forget the princesses I have known and loved; prepare myself for poisoned apples and all things ‘Grimm’ and throw away my glass slippers, I was horrified – but in a good way.

This version of Disenchanted is the only production of Dennis Glacino’s musical to be staged in the UK this year, despite having played to packed Broadway audiences and across lands far, far away.

These women mean business and the all-female cast from Third from the Right, includes well-known local amateur performers. Natalie Baggot, Sarah Coussens, Jo Foley and Gaynor Whitehouse to name but a few have taken the show to task to create the characters of Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, Rapunzel, Mulan, and Belle; in their very own way. With direction by Jez Luckins and choreography by Gaynor Whitehouse, it promises to be a magical experience with a fairy tale ending, we hope.

You are never too young for Disney they say, but due to the adult humour and themes in Disenchanted, princes and princesses under the age of 14 are too young, so stay home and enjoy the real thing.

l For more information on Third from the Right Productions, visit www.tftrproductions.co.uk or visit the group’s Facebook page.

Whenever you perform a show, which includes youngsters, making sure that they are correctly chaperoned is of paramount importance.

With this in mind, Wendy Watkins, a member of Kinver Light Operatic Society, is anxious to find licensed chaperones for the Saturday, September 16, performance of Whistle Down the Wind, which the group will perform at Kinver High School.

l If you are able to help, please visit www.klos.co.uk or message Wendy on Facebook.

Providing the rain stays away, unusual theatrical venues are superb during the summer, so for something a little different, you can catch the New Kinver Players production of The Spirits of the Rock, a short play written by Martin Ward and performed within the Rock Houses at Holy Austin Rock, Compton Road, Kinver, from August 19-20.

Bringing to life the tales of those who lived in the Kinver Rock Houses, the group will take you on a journey of discovery; exploring the characters and the stories and legends of the homes carved into the rock. But is all as it seems?

l For more information and to purchase tickets, visit http://www.nkp.org.uk or visit the group’s Facebook Page. All proceeds from the performances will go towards the National Trust’s continued restoration of the Holy Austin Rock.

Finally this week, The Grange Playhouse in Walsall – the venue for many drama groups in the area – is closing its doors for a major refurbishment.

This means that you won’t be able to enjoy any of their wonderful plays for a period of time, but their grand re-opening in January 2018 will certainly be something to look forward to.

The new season will open with Ray Cooney’s comedy, Never Has This Matter of Farce Been Frenetically Funnier, in January, followed by a Daphne Du Maurier classic, My Cousin Rachel in March and then on to John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men in May. The season will be rounded up by a female version of The Odd Couple in July to make sure you leave with a smile on your faces.

Watch this space for more information on these shows nearer the time.

l Well that’s all for this week. Please keep those emails telling me all your news and good quality photographs coming to a.norton@expressandstar.co.uk, all me on 01902 319662 or follow me on Twitter @AlisonNorton