Their Story

Some of the group members' thoughts

Marge is the oldest member of the group and has been a volunteer member since the beginning. It is a family event every Thursday for Trevor, Roy and herself, and from time to time grandchildren have also joined in the fun. She likes the friendliness of the people in the group, the way that everybody mixes together and contributes to the work, building up to the final performance. The performance that sticks out the most over the last 20 years for Marge is 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat'.

Marge

Trevor is Marge's son, and has been a part of Open Stage from the very first meeting on 12th October 1995. He can always be found on the dance floor at parties, and so it is no surprise that he said that he finds the dancing the most enjoyable part of belonging to our group. Trevor is always keen to lead the warm up at the beginning of each meeting and 'Thriller' by Michael Jackson is one of his favourite numbers to dance to.

Trevor

Vanessa is one of the original members of Open Stage. Vanessa said that being with a group of friends is the thing that she most enjoys about being a member of Open Stage. A few of her favourite pieces that we have performed over the past 20 years are: 'I'm Going to Wash That Man Right Out of my Hair', 'There is Nothing Like a Dame', from the musical 'South Pacific' and 'The Lonely Goater' from 'The Sound of Music'.

Vanessa

Stuart likes the way the group work together as a team and everyone gets involved. He is very happy to dress up and was in his element when Sheila dressed him up as one of the ugly sisters complete with dress and full wig with a bird on the top. His favourite performance was 'Get Me to The Church on Time' in which he played the Best Man.

Stuart

Marco likes the friendliness of the people in the group, he said that we always have fun and it makes him feel good. His favourite production was the one where we performed to the song 'Let's Go Fly a Kite', from the musical 'Mary Poppins'. Marco also enjoyed the 1940's day out on the Seven Valley Railway along with the rest of his family, and other members of the group. The trip to the Seven Valley Railway helped us prepare for a piece of work that we did in 2013 set during the Second World War.

Marco

Simon has been a member of Open Stage for many years along with his Brother Tom and their Mum Sandy, it is a real family affair. One of Simon's favourite roles that he has played over the years was the drunken sailor in a production based on the Titanic. Along with some of the other members of the group Simon is a huge Elvis fan.

Simon & Tom

Liam is one of the newer members of Open Stage and has taken to the group like a duck to water. He likes all aspects of the work from warm up to performance, and completely immerses himself in the work and has a wonderful memory for remembering the routines. Liam's favourite performance so far has been 'Get Me to the Church on Time' from 'My Fair Lady', where he plays the part of the Groom. One of his favourite performers is the great Tom Jones.

Liam

Glenis has been a volunteer with Open Stage for many years. She said that being with a group of friends is the thing that she most enjoys about being a member of Open Stage. Working together every week, rehearsing towards the performance, putting on the show at the end is the climax and very rewarding.

Glenis (Volunteer)