News

A major source of reference has been Jim Harland’s books on The History of Blyth and, specifically, Trevor W Harder’s article on Beaconsfield Operatic Society. In the early 1920s, an enthusiastic band of singers in Blyth formed a musical group with possibly the longest title for such an organisation: The...

Stoke Youth Musical Theatre Company was originally formed as the youth section of the former City of Stoke-on-Trent Operatic Society in 1979. The youth section age range was 11 to 21 and it was governed by five members of the former society’s executive committee. Sadly, those five are no longer...

We know about the horrific end of life suffered by gay university student Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming, USA before The Laramie Project even starts. The hours of torture and finally, his death are not the climactic moments of the three-act play in which as few as eight actors portray...

Following the passing of Bert Lumsden on 20 June 2024, after a short illness, one word has been used by all who have paid tribute – gentleman. Bert was indeed a gentleman who devoted a significant amount of time and effort in supporting amateur theatre locally in Dundee, as a...

Bournemouth and Boscombe Light Opera Company - known locally as BBLOC, (pronounced B-block) started life as Boscombe Light Opera Company in 1954, and is Bournemouth’s largest amateur musical theatre company. BBLOC has often led the way with new shows - New Moon in 1962, Naughty Marietta in 1964, and The...

St Austell AOS was approached by Cornwall Libraries to enquire whether we would like to contribute to National Story Telling Week, which ran from 27th January to 4th February 2024. The book, chosen by Karen Burdon, was The Baddies by Julia Donaldson. St Austell AOS prides itself on working in,...

It’s been almost a year and a half since I became a NODA representative. I had no real idea what it involved. Each area is divided into regions and regions into districts. As a rep, I had 18 different groups. I had no idea there were so many and most...

In a village just outside Kendal, Cumbria a group of enthusiastic performers are beginning rehearsals for Gilbert & Sullivan’s Iolanthe. Staveley Amateur Operatic Society are celebrating their 70th Anniversary this year, and what better way than giving a comical nod to the election, by proving that fairies can influence parliament!...

When Six: Teen Edition was released for amateur Youth Theatre Societies, I am sure the excitement that we felt in Johnstone was experienced across many youth societies up and down the country. The screams of excitement that rang out from our members, and the shock on their faces when we...

At NODA North East Gala Weekend in Bridlington in April, young people from around the region were invited to spend the day with us and experience some of what Gala Weekend has to offer. Those attending had the opportunity to join workshops with other weekend participants including dance and puppetry,...