Gilbert & Sullivan Society seeking new directors and other performances you can enjoy soon

The group is based at The Lamp Theatre which is part of the Brownhills Community Centre.

Their previous productions have included The Mikado, The Pirates of Penzance, as well concert versions where the group has performed excerpts from several of the classic operettas composed by this unique pair.

This well-established popular group is currently seeking a Director and a Musical Director for their 2025 season.

If you are a G&S fan and are interested in either post, if you would like to join as a member, please email admin@walsallgands.co.uk or call 07940 311240. They are waiting to hear from you!

The sun has finally come out, hopefully for more than just a few days and parents are facing weeks of entertaining their youngsters over the summer break.

With this in mind, Central Youth Theatre, who are based at the Newhampton Arts Centre in Wolverhampton, is hosting four themed drama days, featuring Disney, Harry Potter, Gaming inspired drama and Horrible Histories, from 23-26 July. The age range is 7-12 years old.

Each day is a stand-alone workshop, offering the choice to book as many as you like, and is priced at just £10 per child per session, thanks to funding from the organisations Arts Council England, Funded by the UK Government and the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation. CYT is also supported by Powered by Can.

For 41 years, Central Youth Theatre has been nurturing the talents of young people aged from just four years old, to young adults up to the age of 25 years.

Why not attend the summer sessions and then look at getting involved in the group’s regular classes? You can sign up on their website at centralyouththeatre.org or call Newhampton Arts Centre on 01902 572090.

Another group who is offering places in their theatrical summer school Is Kidderminster Rose Young People’s Theatre. From July 22-26, youngsters can join in their production “The Drama of Dahl”, a week of theatrical fun based on the stories of the famous children’s author Roald Dahl.

His wonderful characters and unusual stories are bound to stimulate the imagination and creativity of young performers and joining the group is also a great opportunity to make new friends, grow in confidence and explore your own abilities.

For more information, visit rosetheatre.co.uk.

Meanwhile at the Mill Theatre within the Dormston Centre at Sedgley, Smile Musical Youth Theatre is presenting their production “The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical” from July 26-27.

A dynamic and electrifying adaptation of Rick Riordan’s novel, this is a family-friendly musical which brings to life the magical world of Percy Jackson.

As Percy discovers his true identity, he embarks on an epic quest with mythical creatures and powerful gods.

Director and choreographer, Joe Logan said, “We can’t wait to share this enchanting story with the community. Our talented young cast has poured their heart and soul into this production.”

It sounds amazing! For tickets visit seaty.co.uk/smilethief. Performances are at 7pm nightly and at 2pm on Saturday afternoon.

Over in Shropshire, if you are quick, you just might bag a ticket for Rooftop Theatre’s production of “Chain Girls”, which they are performing from July 18-21 in the Secret Garden at the Castle Bookshop, Ludlow.

Directed and produced by Simon Bolton and Paul Sayers, this is a play about chain making in The Black Country in Victorian England, where the working conditions were appalling and the pay even worse.

Although this was a dirty, heavy job, women were a vital component of the industry, but in 1910, the ladies of Cradley Heath made history by striking for a fair wage.

This is a fictionalised drama based on true stories, but nevertheless brings to the fore this very important historical period of time and the fight for women’ s rights in the workplace.

For tickets, priced at £12 each, visit rooftoptheatre.co.uk or visit the venue. Alternatively, call 01584 872562 or email enquiries@castlebookshop.co.uk

Please note that the performances commence at 7pm sharp.

At the Arts Centre in Telford, you can catch a production of Stephen Sondheim’s well-loved musical, “Into the Woods” from July 20-21.

A baker and his wife are childress having been subjected to a cruel curse from a horrible witch. In an attempt to reverse the spell, they venture into the woods to find the ingredients to lift the curse and restore the witch’s beauty.

They need to find a milk-white cow, hair as yellow as corn, a blood-red cape and a slipper of gold. Not an easy task, but then this is a fairy story!

On their adventures they meet a host of fairy tale characters who are all on a quest to fulfil a wish.

As with most of Sondheim’s works, there is an underlying sense of drama and darkness, but the score of “Into the Woods” is pleasing and includes “A Very Nice Prince”, “Magic Beans”, “Stay With Me”, “Moments in the Woods” and of course the title song.

For tickets visit https://www.theartscentretelford.com/ or call 01952 610374.

That’s all for this week. Please send me details of your shows to a.norton@expressandstar.co.uk, call me on 01902 319662 or follow me on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram.

Break a leg!