Somewhere back in the mists of the 1920’s, the Skegness and District Amateur Operatic Society was born. Unfortunately the birth was not formally noted and sadly there is nobody still about who remembers when it was. A large part of the reason for this has to be that the new baby seems only to have survived until the late 1930’s.
However, in 1965 a few enterprising souls got together, re-formed the society under the same name and constitution and performed The King and I as their first production. Although the society awarded itself a new name for the millennium, Skegness Musical Theatre Company, it has otherwise remained the same.
Those with a keen eye will have noted that this is the 40th anniversary year and a good reason to celebrate. The celebration will be mainly centred on a concert tour of local towns and villages, in November and December, offering songs from all thirty-odd different shows staged over the last forty years. The final performance will be a Gala Concert, in the Imperial Ballroom Skegness, in the presence of civic dignitaries and as many former members as we can muster, plus, of course, an audience. The concert will be followed by a buffet supper with a toast to the society and suitable merrymaking to launch the next 40 years.
The main show in rehearsal is Oliver, to be performed in Spring 2006 at the Embassy Theatre Skegness. The society has performed this show twice before, the last time in 1977. With 55 auditions for adult parts and 40 children auditioning, there is the promise of a healthy future.
Visit their new website for more information.