Cheltenham-based amateur dramatics group Promenade Productions are to grace the stage of the Bacon Theatre when they will be performing songs from famous musicals in their ‘For the Love of Musicals’ summer show.

Some of the most famous songs from legendary musicals will be performed by Promenade Productions on three nights at the Bacon Theatre, starting on 12th July. Daphne Herbert, who will be directing the shows at the Bacon Theatre, says being able to practise twice a week has left her members well prepared for the upcoming performance. Said Daphne: “Any successful production relies on the commitment of its members, to have two practice sessions a week is hugely beneficial, it gives everyone time to perfect their roles and familiarise themselves with the routine. We’re so lucky to have such a passionate and dedicated team who are just a total joy to work with.

“We’re all looking forward to our ‘For the Love of Musicals’ performance next month. It’s going to be a cabaret style concert celebrating the great musicals of the twentieth century. We’ll be singing songs from the best loved musicals such as Oklahoma, Fiddler on the Roof, Chicago, Miss Saigon plus many more fantastic shows. To perform at the Bacon Theatre is a great thrill, especially as it’s in our hometown. We’ve been practising for months now, preparations have gone very well so it’s just a case of keeping that momentum going as we build towards opening night.

“There’s a lot of hard work that goes into a performance. It’s not just a case of singing, all our performers will be dressed in costumes and will be acting out the songs as well. There’s so many people involved in the production as well as the team on stage, we’ll be using a video screen to provide images while the songs are being performed which is really exciting.”

The long-standing amateur dramatics group will be joined on stage by members of the Young Promenaders, who will be performing songs from Bugsy Malone and Billy Elliott. Continued Daphne: “We’ve got 15 or so incredibly talented children who are so enthusiastic and passionate. They are a total joy to work with and we can’t wait to see them back on stage. They will be the stars of the future, it’s simply wonderful to work with such passionate children.”

Daphne, who has been involved with the amateur dramatics since the group formed back in 1984, directs two performances every year, including the traditional post-Christmas pantomime. She said: “As soon as the curtain goes down on our performance on 14th July we’ll have a couple of weeks off then we’ll be starting preparations for Snow White which we’ll be performing next January. We all love what we do, and we hope our enthusiasm is reflected in our performances.”