How it all began ...
In 1992 Barnstaple
Musical Comedy Society set up a sub-committee to find new ways of
recruiting and retaining younger members for the society�s annual
production in November.
With no independent youth theatre group in the area it was decided to
set up a junior section which was to be run on a workshop basis.
Although quite popular in the early days, it soon became apparent that
with no end result, and no goal to achieve, the youngsters soon lost
interest, and numbers began to fall. To stem the decline the new
section was invited to become involved in the the senior Cabaret which
took place each Spring. The enthusiasm was back and the numbers began
to climb.
Local actor Colin Thorne took the junior section under his wing and was
allocated a sum of money from the senior society. A bank account,
independent of the parent society was opened and financial independence
prevailed, allowing the dream of putting on a production of their own a
step closer. In January 1994 they took that step with a relatively
modest production of Jack and The Beanstalk which toured North Devon
and was very well received.
What happened next ...In 1995, the group came under the direction of Kev Behan, who had previously been a founder member of North Devon Gang Show in Barnstaple. He requested that an annual production be considered and he set about building a team who could make this possible.
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Members are now regularly appearing our senior company shows too, the most recent being Titanic (the musical), The King & I, and South Pacific and Blitz! It wasn't until 2008 that we reached what can only be described as amateur theatre history. Disney's High School Musical
played to five sell-out performances (an extra matinee being added to
the run at short notice ... and then selling out within 48 hours!!) and
has generally been described as " the loudest 'am-dram' show to ever
play at the Queen's, and to have the most expensive lighting rig ever
for an amateur production in Barnstaple. Pretty good huh?.. the critics
loved it too!! 2009 promised great things as we took a step back to one of the great pre-war hits with Cole Porter's Anything Goes. Unfortunately a shortage of disposable incomes meant that audiences did not come in the numbers expected. Crippling costs and poor ticket sales caused a financial blip for the group, but the management team under Company manager Kev Behan, lived to fight another day! The show itself continued to show off the talents of the BYG kids to their very best. Excellent reviews were received from NODA SW and the local press alike. Our 2010 show promised more great things as BYG were pleased to present the regional premiere of Andrew Lloyd-Webber/Tim Rice's The Likes of Us, the story of Dr Thomas Barnardo. This is quite a dark story, and was told in a similar way to all ALW/TR shows, predominantly through music ... but what music ... this eclectic score is set to be a great hit when it moves into London at the end of 2011. A very different challenge then for 2010. 2011 saw us take on the classic Bernstein/Sondheim masterpiece, West Side Story. We threw ourselves into this fantastic show, performing breathtaking choreography to the stunning score. Special fight trainers were involved in the preparation of the show which must be up there as one of our greatest challenges to date. 2012 saw us coming back to home ground with the great British musical "Half A Sixpence" ... a great way for the company to join in the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations and to wave the flag for Britain in Olympic Year. Our parent company.
BYG is the young
people's section of Barnstaple Musical Comedy and Dramatic Society. For
those over 16 years old, the opportunity is there for you to take part
in the senior productions which take place each year in November. ...
Interested, contact the secretary ...
SUE SPIEGELHALTERor visit their site ...www.b-mcs.co.uk |
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 The Cast of Anything Goes - May 2009 |
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