The Bishops Cleeve Players are raising money for the British Legion with an evening of theatre and music to be held at the Tithe Barn on Friday 28th September.

The long-running amateur dramatics group will be taking to the stage at the popular performance venue as they perform plays inspired by the first and second World Wars.

Sandy Newman, who is on the committee of the Bishops Cleeve Players, says the amateur dramatics group are working hard ahead of the performance later this month. She said: “A member of ours who sadly passed away recently said it would be a great idea for us to do a show to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the ending of the First World War.

“When he passed away we decided that the show would take place in tribute of his memory as well. Bishops Cleeve Parish Council gladly gave us a grant which means that all the money that we take from ticket sales will go directly to the British Legion. We’ll be joined on stage by the Cleeve Harmony Ladies’ Chorus who will be singing and then there’s Rhythm Strings who are a fantastic string band who will be playing as well. It will be a wonderful evening of music and drama.

“In the first half we’ll be performing entertainment that would have been around during the First World War then after the interval we’ll be performing dramas based on the events of the Second World War. I’ve written three short dramas based around the two wars which we’re going to act out. There’s a great mix of stuff going on, it’s going to be a wonderful evening of entertainment. It would be great to get a big crowd in to raise money for such a fantastic charity. We’d love to sell more than one hundred tickets, I’m sure the people of Gloucestershire will support us.

“I’ve been involved with the Bishops Cleeve Players for just over three decades. We’ve got some members who have been part of the group since the 1970s. There’s 40 or so of us in the group, it’s an enormous thrill to be working alongside so many long-term friends and people who have a real passion for performing.”

As soon as the curtain goes down on 28th September the members of the Bishops Cleeve Players will turn their attention to their annual pantomime. Sandy continued: “This year we’re very excited to announce we’ll be performing a much-loved pantomime, with a twist! ‘Little Red: Riding in the Hood’ is the show, it has an Italian mafia theme to it. It’s a wonderful script, and we’re all looking forward to performing it. We’ll spend the next few months rehearsing, a pantomime takes a lot of effort, not just from the performers but also the important backstage staff. We all love the pantomime season, it’s a wonderful time of year and everyone works so hard to put on the shows.”