A youth musical theatre group based in Derbyshire has recently put on performances of the popular production Bugsy Malone to audiences of more than 250 people at the David Nieper Academy in Alfreton.

Rising Stars Musical Theatre is a performance group aimed at children between six and 18, that aims to encourage them to find a passion in the arts and to learn and grow as performers.

The group was established in 2022 by husband and wife duo Phil and Louise, who have both played an active part in the Derbyshire performing arts community over the last decade, and felt it was finally time for them to make a personal impact on the performers of tomorrow.

Louise is a teacher of 20 years and has performed on stage for almost 30. Her husband Phil has similarly been in shows since he was 14, and directed shows for almost 20 years in the Derby and Chesterfield area.

Rising Star Musical Theatre has links to RAMTC Productions, which Phil helped to set up, and the two companies have performed several concerts and shows together over the last few years.

The recent Bugsy Malone show had a cast of 46 children, with an additional 10 members who were unable to perform this time around, but are looking forward to the future productions.

Louise said: “I think that number in itself shows how important the arts are to a community. Performing arts isn’t given the weighting it deserves in the National Curriculum. Just by taking part in one show you learn about patience, resilience, teamwork, confidence, and pushing yourself outside your comfort zone, not to mention the benefits to your mental health.

“Yet we measure children’s ability on whether they can write an essay using fronted adverbials or whether they can spell privilege when spellcheck has been sorting that out for years.”

Future productions are already well underway, with a number of excited and enthusiastic children ready to start preparing for more fun-filled shows.

Beyond Your Wildest Dreams will be performed at Horsley Woodhouse Church Hall on both Thursday, May 18, and Friday, May 19, with ticket prices ranging between £6 and £10.

Shrek Jr will be performed at the David Nieper Academy on Saturday, November 16, and Sunday, November 17, with tickets ranging between £10 and £13.

To book tickets for either performance go to: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/rising-stars-musical-theatre

For more information about the group, email: risingstarsmt@yahoo.com

Photograph Credit: Ben Sherman