THERE’S a big weekend coming up for members of Llanelli’s new Scarlet Musical Theatre Productions (SMTP) team.
Hot on the heels of their ‘Scarlet Showstoppers’ cabaret evening at Burry Port Memorial Hall, SMTP performers will be joining the award-winning Côr Meibion Pontarddulais Male Choir for a special concert.
An evening with ‘The Company and the Choir’ will be presented at Hope Siloh Chapel, Pontarddulais, on Saturday (May 18) at 7pm.
The long-term plans for SMTP include a production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s smash hit musical Sunset Boulevard in November.
The guest compere for the Pontarddulais show will be Mr Denys Jenkins BEM, known throughout west Wales as pantomime star Denny Twp. Tickets are £10.
Rehearsals for SMTP concerts are on Mondays at 7pm at Dafen Hall, Llanelli.
Anyone interested in joining the team can pop along.
You can find out more about Scarlet Musical Theatre Productions on their Facebook page at – https://www.facebook.com/SMTPSouthWales
Meanwhile, the Forge Drama youth theatre group, is returning to Carmarthen’s Lyric theatre at the end of this month with a spectacular performance of Oliver!
For more than a decade, Forge Drama has been bringing the magic of performing arts to the young people of Carmarthen and captivating audiences with musical productions.
Between May 30 and June 1, the company is bringing the streets of Victorian England to the town as Oliver, a malnourished orphan in a workhouse, joins Fagin’s crew of young thieves and pickpockets, where he befriends the charismatic Artful Dodger.
The show is called Oliver! Jr, as youngsters, all aged between four and 16, are taking the helm.
Filled with beloved songs like Consider Yourself, Food Glorious Food, and Oom-Pah-Pah, Oliver! Jr is a family favourite not to be missed.
Osian Rhys, founder of Forge Drama and company director said: “I’m incredibly proud of everyone who’s been involved in Oliver! Jr.
“Our students have worked very hard, and their talent and dedication shine through on stage.
“Interestingly this year, some of our production team performed in the 1991 Carmarthen and District Youth Opera production of Oliver! at the Lyric, and now their children are following in their footsteps, making this a real multigenerational effort.”
Osian added: “As always, it’s been amazing to see all the support from family, friends, and the local community, and I can’t wait for us to share this legendary show with everyone.”
Oliver! Jr takes place will take place on Thursday, May 30 and Friday May 31 at 3.30pm and 7.30pm. There will be one matinee performance on Saturday, June 1 at 1.30pm
Tickets can be purchased from the Carmarthenshire Theatres website or the Lyric Theatre box office.
Coming up in Llanelli next month, the Salvation Army will be hosted a brass band concert at The Citadel at Sunninghill Terrace in the town.
The concert will feature the Wales Fellowship Band and takes place at 6.30pm on Saturday, June 15. Tickets are £5.
The growing links between Llanelli and its twin town of Agen in France are behind a special concert in July.
Llanelli and District Twinning Association will be presenting an evening of music featuring popular ladies choir Côr Curiad and special guests from Agen.
The French visitors will be the The Harpists of Agen and Lot-et-Garonne, the region surrounding Llanelli’s twin town.
The harpists go under the name of Harpinbag and they come highly recommended by members of the twinning association who have witnessed them in concert in Agen.
The musical evening will be at Llanelli’s Diplomat Hotel on Thursday, July 18, doors open at 6.30pm for a 7pm start.
Côr Curiad will be under the musical direction of Alex Esney and the compere for the evening will be Llanelli impresario Cerith Owens.
The evening will also feature accompanist Catrin Hughes and selected soloists from the Loud Applause Rising Stars (LARS) stable.
Tickets are £10 and are available from members of Côr Curiad, Loud Applause Rising Stars or from Paolo Piana on email at pianapaolo@hotmail.com or telephone on 07956 592806.
In other news, members of Llanelli Youth Theatre are getting warmed up for what is going to be a busy 40th anniversary year.
LYT will be staging a special 40th anniversary concert at Ffwrnes Theatre in Llanelli on Saturday, June 1.
Then, in September, LYT will be staging Stephen Sondheim’s Tony award-winning musical Sweeney Todd.
Finally, the countdown is on to the Côr Meibion Llanelli Male Voice Choir Young Musician of the Year competition.
This is a new competition for Llanelli and is being held to keep the name of Côr Meibion Llanelli alive. The choir finished active performing last year after struggling to recruit new members and officials.
A choir spokesman said: “We remain determined to keep the famous name of Côr Meibion Llanelli alive in west Wales – and what better way to do it than to organise a competition to encourage the musicians and singers of the future.
“Down the years, the choir has raised thousands for local charities. We want to continue to play an active part in the local community to keep the name of our historic choir alive.”
The Young Musician of the Year competition will take place at Ysgol y Strade, Llanelli, at 7pm on Friday, June 21.
The competition is open to all pupils from Llanelli secondary schools.
The winner will receive the Trevor Lewis Shield, presented in memory of one of the choir’s most stalwart members.
There is a cash prize of £750 for the winner; £200 for second and £100 for third.
Adjudicators for the event will be Angharad Brinn, Cerith Owens and Meinir Jones Parry.
Pupils are being advised to register for the competition through their schools. If anyone needs further competition information, then they should contact Chris Davies at Ysgol y Strade, email christopher.davies@ysgolystrade.org
Tickets for the competition will be £5 and will be available through the ticketsource website – www.ticketsource.co.uk/cormeibionllanelli
More information about Theatrau Sir Gar shows can be found on their website at – https://www.theatrausirgar.co.uk
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