Opening night is fast approaching and there’s a nervous excitement in the air as members of the Nailsworth Dramatic Society countdown to their latest production – The Accrington Pals.

Peter Whelan’s play tells the story of the British soldiers fighting in the Battle of the Somme and also the women left behind in Accrington.

The first show is on Wednesday 21st November and Julian Dennis, Chairman of the Nailsworth Dramatic Society, says his members are relishing the opportunity to perform what he calls a ‘fantastic play’.

He said: “We’re all tremendously excited ahead of the opening night. Rehearsals have gone very well, it’s all about just fine tuning those little details now ahead of the first performance.

“The play is about Lord Kitchener’s Pals battalions. Kitchener believed that more men would enlist if they could serve alongside their friends, relatives and workmates.

“The play tells the story of the families of the men who went out to fight in the war and the women who come together as friends when facing financial and social deprivation as well as being thrown into the social changes that came along with the absence of many men. It’s a fantastic story, one that we’re looking forward to performing at the Nailsworth Town Hall.”

For the last six decades the Nailsworth Dramatic Society have performed no less than two full-length plays each year as well as a variety of one act plays and cabaret evenings. It’s the passion and commitment of the members that Julian says is the reason behind the success of the society.

He continued: “We’ve currently got just over 30 members. We’ve a great range of ages represented although we would like to see a few more youngsters join us. We’re thankful not just for all the great actors and actresses but also the wonderful team of backstage staff whose work is just as important as the guys on stage.

“We like to pride ourselves on the quality of our shows. We approach every production with that professional mindset.

“I joined the society just over a decade ago. We’ve put on some great shows over the years. Our audiences love the comedy productions, we’ve put on Fawlty Towers and ‘Allo ‘Allo in recent years that have been so well received.”

This time round Julian won’t be featuring in the play, but he will be playing a crucial backstage role.

He added: “I’m Stage Manager for The Accrington Pals. I’ll be there every night managing the onstage team and ensuring the set is perfect.

“The great thing about our shows is that the audience can almost become involved in the play, there’s that real sense of intimacy that you can’t get watching a film at the cinema or a theatre show in a massive venue.

“Every single person associated with the Nailsworth Dramatic Society has worked so hard ahead of the show, it would be great to see a healthy crowd in on every night.”