Nelson Youth Theatre celebrates 25 years
Twenty-five years ago, Richard Carruthers felt there weren’t enough opportunities for young Nelson actors to appear centre stage. So he created his own theatre company to foster young talent.
Now, Nelson Youth Theatre is celebrating its quarter century with a three-hour concert showcasing a range of favourite acts performed by current actors, and theatre alumni.
The November 30 show at the Theatre Royal will feature about 20 big chorus numbers from musicals such as The Lion King and Grease performed by current youth theatre actors, and more by alumni.
Richard Carruthers of the Nelson Youth Theatre Company frustrated, Ticket Rocket has the Nelson Youth Theatre pondering a $15,000 loss of ticket sales if the agency was unable to settle on its two upcoming productions.
Carruthers often gets messages from former actors about the good memories they had, or the lasting friendships they’d made.
“It’s a wonderful feeling, really lovely, when people touch base. It’s really nice to find out where they’re going, and what they’re doing.”
ome have made their way into the movie world, or to the West End, Carruthers said.
Others have gone in different directions, but have told Carruthers the skills they learned in the theatre have held them in good stead in their careers.
Carruthers got into theatre through his children, who roped him into helping with a show.
Watching the children work hard to bring the show together, only to see the main roles go to adults, didn’t seem right to Carruthers.
“I asked a producer about it, and they said ‘children can’t carry a show, you have to have the adults to make the show work’.
“It didn’t sit well, and I thought, ‘I think I can do better’.”
He assembled a group of young people and asked them if they wanted leading roles in a show. They leapt at the chance, “and so the magic was born”.
The company’s first show, Surgical Sensation at St Sennapods, was performed at Clifton Terrace School and cost $8 a ticket.
Since then the company has grown, with hundreds of children involved in several shows each year.
It’s hard to pick just one highlight from the last quarter century, but their 2007 production of Les Misérables stood out, Carruthers said.
The three-hour long show, staged at the Nelson Centre of Musical Arts, was a major step up for the company, an “extravaganza” that attracted two dozen letters to the editor urging locals to see the show, he said.
“We made our name on the Nelson scene; it was something pretty special.”
Buy tickets at the Theatre Royal.
By Warren Gamble, Nelson Mail
This Post Has 0 Comments