Critically acclaimed South Staffordshire College Performing Arts Department return to the Lichfield Garrick to close their Performance Season 2014/15 with the smash hit Sondheim musical comedy Merrily We Roll Along.

Turning the traditional showbiz musical on its head is this thrilling and compelling Broadway fable about friendship, compromise and the high price of success. Merrily We Roll Along begins in the present and moves backwards, tracing the lives of wealthy, jaded composer Franklin Shepard and his two estranged friends through each milestone of their personal and professional lives (good and bad). 

The show ends with a touch of rueful irony, as the three best friends at the start of their careers face a bright future: young, talented and enthusiastic about the worlds waiting to be conquered.

Featuring the hit songs Not a Day Goes By, Good Thing Going, Old Friends and Our Time. Don't miss this fantastic show from SSC Performing Arts.

Merrily We Roll Along plays at Lichfield Garrick, on the main stage, on 23 and 24 June. All seats are £12 and performances start at 7.30pm. For more information and to book tickets click here or call the Garrick's box office on 01543 412121.

Find SSC Performing Arts on Twitter here.
Find SSC Performing Arts on Facebook here.

Take a look here at our last review for SSC Performing Arts production of tick, tick, BOOM!

Are you a potential Oliver, an Artful Dodger, or could you just 'pick a pocket or two'?

Walsall Operatic Society is looking for boys aged between 8 and 16 for their next main production, Oliver! which will be performed at the Lichfield Garrick Theatre from 8 to 12 March 2016.  We require two teams, each one consisting of Oliver, Artful Dodger and 13 boys.

Auditions will be held on Sunday 14 June 2015 at Darwin Hall, Lichfield (see map below).

If you would like to register your child for an audition, please fill in your contact details at the form here, along with a brief explanation of any musical or performing experience they have. A pack of audition materials is also available for download from here.

For further information visit Walsall Operatic Society's website.

Find Walsall Operatic Society on Facebook here.
Find Walsall Operatic Society on Twitter here.

Here is our top 15 theatre picks for May (we couldn't narrow it down to 10!). From amateur to professional, get your diaries at the ready to pop some of the most important dates in...

5 to 9 May
Sister Act
The Arcadians at Crescent Theatre
Click here

9 May
I Love You Because
Starbuck Theatre Company at Ruddock Performing Arts Centre, Birmingham
Click here

12 to 16 May
Hairspray
Trinity Players at Sutton Coldfield Town Hall
Click here

12 to 16 May
Bad Girls 
Mellow Dramatics at The Brewhouse Arts Centre
Click here

12 to 16 May
Kiss Me, Kate 
Bournville Musical Theatre Company at Crescent Theatre
Click here

12 to 16 May
The Witches Of Eastwick
Solihull Theatre Company at Solihull Arts Complex
Click here

13 to 16 May
Ghost The Musical
WBOS at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre
Click here

15 to 30 May
The Rise And Fall Of Little Voice
Birmingham Repertory Theatre
Click here

21 to 23 May
Oliver! 
Coventry Musical Theatre Society at Belgrade Theatre, Coventry
Click here

21 to 23 May
Judy - The Songbook Of Judy Garland
New Alexandra Theatre
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22 to 23 May
Thrill Me 
Old Rep Theatre
Click here

26 May to 6 June
The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time
Birmingham Hippodrome
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27 to 30 May
Wuthering Heights 
SSA Drama at The Edge
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27 to 30 May
Hot Mikado
SSC Performing Arts at Lichfield Garrick
Click here

28 to 30 May
Into The Woods
Backstreet Theatre Company at Prince of Wales Centre, Cannock
Click here

Lichfield Operatic Society have just enjoyed a sell out run at the Garrick Theatre in Lichfield with The King and I, which enjoyed fabulous reviews. Now for something a little different. In October they are performing The Full Monty and the production team are eager to welcome more chaps who are prepared to get their kit off!

The show is based on the fabulous film and tells of a group of unemployed men who, for their own personal reasons, decide to strip for “one night only”. This great piece of theatre will make you laugh and cry, taking you on a journey with these men who find personal and financial fulfilment by the end.

Rehearsals started in earnest on 30 April with audition preparation, and casting will be on 18 May.

For more information and to express an interest in auditioning contact Lichfield Operatic Official via their Facebook page here.

Find Lichfield Operatic Society on Twitter here.
Find Lichfield Operatic Society on Facebook here.

The award-winning Lichfield Operatic Society return to Lichfield Garrick this week with their latest show The King And I. Running from 21 to 25 April, the company last performed the show back in 2003 and it was their first performance in the Lichfield Garrick after it opened. 

Rodgers and Hammerstein's classic musical was thrown into the spotlight when Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr took on the leading roles in the film. The show delights audiences with well-known songs including Getting to Know You, Shall We Dance?, I Whistle a Happy Tune and countless others.

It tells the tale of the strong-willed, widowed English teacher who travels to Siam in the 1860s to be a governess to the many children of the King. 

Playing the role of widow, Mrs Anna, is Dawn Welch and the King of Siam is played by Jordan Adams who have both been members of the society for a number of years. Julie Mallaband is directing, with accomplished musical director Jack Hopkins and choreographer Jess Lambert. With two teams of children playing Anna's son and the children of the King, the show will thrill Lichfield audiences. 

Tickets are now very limited, so make sure to book as soon as you can. For more information and to get your tickets click here or call Lichfield Garrick box office on 01543 412 121.

Find Lichfield Operatic Society on Twitter here.
Find Lichfield Operatic Society on Facebook here.

Based on the Touchstone Pictures Motion Picture, Sister Act tells the story of aspiring disco diva Deloris Van Cartier. Trying to work her way to the top in 1970s Philadelphia, Deloris falls in love with a very tough—and very married—gangster boyfriend named Curtis. However, when Deloris witnesses him commit a murder she ends up in hiding on police orders, in a convent whose parish has fallen on hard times. Though the sequin-free lifestyle doesn’t agree with her, Deloris finds her calling working with the choir, and breathes new life into the dusty convent while discovering a sisterhood she’s never had before. 

Brownhills Musical Theatre Company return to the Lichfield Garrick after previous award-winning hits Beauty & The Beast and The Producers. Sister Act promises to be a hilariously, feel good musical, which will leave you wanting to 'Raise Your Voice' in joy! 

The cast are led by Alanna Boden who has taken on the principle role of Deloris Van Cartier made famous by Whoopi Goldberg in the 1992 film. Leading a cast of 40 plus Sisters (and Brothers) this vibrant, energetic company are bringing some ‘Sunday Morning Fever’ to the Garrick stage from 5 to 9 May. 

To book tickets, you can call the ticket Secretary directly on 01785 715368, book online by clicking here or call the Lichfield Garrick box office direct on 01543 412 121.

Find Brownhills Musical Theatre Company on Twitter here.
Find Brownhills Musical Theatre Company on Facebook here.

House of Greasepaint Productions will be presenting Hot Mikado at Lichfield Garrick this May.

The production company was set up to showcase the Staffordshire University Foundation Degree Musical Theatre Programme and they will be performing the hilarious musical adaption of Gilbert and Sullivan's most famous operettas from 27 to 30 May.

Hot Mikado sees East meet West head-on in this 1940's-style update and features classic songs including A Wand'ring Minstrel I, Three Little Maids and many more. Watch as the colour of Japanese design combine with the big band sights and sounds of popular, American song and dance.

The principal cast has been announced and includes Daniel Roberts, Abbie Mead, Jamie Jones, Rachel Wrighte, Alfie Kentesber, Kaii Songhurst, James Rowney, Vitalyia Harbord and Elliot Lolley, directed by Laurie Asher, with choreography from Katie McDonagh.

Hot Mikado plays at Lichfield Garrick from 27 to 30 May. For more information and to book tickets for this show click here or call Lichfield Garrick’s box office on 01543 412 121.

Find House of GreasePaint Productions on Twitter here.
Find House of GreasePaint Productions on Facebook here.

Here is our top 10 theatre picks for April. From amateur to professional, get your diaries at the ready to pop some of the most important dates in...

31 March to 26 April
Shrek The Musical
Birmingham Hippodrome
Click here

1 to 3 April 
Rent
South Staffs Musical Theatre Company at Wolverhampton Grammar School
Click here

7 to 11 April
Sweeney Todd
Tamworth Arts Club at Landau Forte Sixth Form Centre
Click here

8 to 11 April
A View From The Bridge
Belgrade Theatre, Coventry
Click here

14 to 18 April
42nd Street
Peterbrook Players at Solihull Arts Complex
Click here

21 April to 2 May
The Bodyguard
Wolverhampton Grand
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21 to 25 April 
The Producers
Studley Operatic Society at Redditch Palace Theatre
Click here

23 to 25 April 
A Man For All Seasons
Union Theatre at St Edburgha’s Church, Yardley
Click here

27 April to 2 May
Rebecca
Birmingham Repertory Theatre
Click here

28 April to 2 May
Our House
Solihull On Stage at Solihull Arts Complex
Click here