Milborne Port Opera, which features two Horsington residents, has won two major awards, against stiff opposition from companies from all over Somerset, in the annual David Beach Awards for musical theatre, presented by the Somerset Fellowship of Drama.
Milborne Port Opera were nominated by a panel of experts for 3 awards, and won two – Best Chorus, and the David Beach Challenge Trophy, for the way in which they so cleverly transform the Village Hall into a theatre. Both awards were for MilbornePort’s last show “Iolanthe” by Gilbert & Sullivan, produced by Horsington’s Chris Bailward, directed by Naomi Booth, with Peter Mumford from Wincanton as musical director.
Chris Bailward commented “ We are delighted to win 2 out of 3 awards, against stiff competition. They confirm our ability as choral singers and performers and our commitment to providing great entertainment for our audiences”.
Milborne Port Opera’s next show is Gilbert & Sullivan’s “Utopia Ltd”, a comic opera about banking, finance, aristocracy, celebrity media and the mafia. It revolves around the small South Pacific island of Utopia’s attempts to turn itself into a limited company. It is one of G&S’s less well-known works, and the production team have sharpened its satirical edge with some judicious re-writes and updating. Both Chris Bailward and Richard Gaunt appear in the show.
The show runs at the Milborne Port Village Hall from April 23-26, the week after Easter. Tickets from boxoffice@milborneportopera.co.uk Telephone 07926 983585.