News: Mossley Next Generation Youth Theatre

** Stop Press ** Mike Ward ** Stop Press ** Mike Ward ** Stop Press **

Massive congratulations to staff member and former Next Generation pupil Mike Ward for landing a role in the 2009/2010 national tour of Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat!

Mike will perform on stage as a swing, so will be performing and understudying many of the parts, and he has also been asked to take on the responsibility of Assistant Stage Manager - an excellent dual role that reflects Mike's obvious talents both on and off stage! Mike found out about the part on Friday 18th September and started rehearsing in London on the 21st, so his feet will hardly have touched the ground! But on behalf of all at the Youth Theatre, CONGRATULATIONS! The Advanced Saturday class will miss you, but we're all proud of you!

Next Generation Awards

The Next Generation Youth Theatre Awards were held at the George Lawton Hall on Sunday 21st September. The awards aren't meant to reflect necessarily the best drama or musical theatre performances, but are aimed at recognising those members who have made a marked improvement over the last year, or who have shown commitment to the Youth Theatre over and above what would normally be expected. And, as usual, we were entertained by the Junior, Senior and Advanced Musical Theatre classes, performing numbers from both past and forthcoming showcases.

The nominations and awards were as follows:

Award	Winner	Also nominated
Overall Commitment Junior	Tom Canning	Tyla Sullivan-Lomax and Rosie Rapuana
Overall Commitment Senior	Bradley McNee	MillieCunliffe, Rowanne Walker-Heap and Kate Manning
Most Improved Musical Theatre Junior	Roxanne Norris	Liam Mayall, Tom Canning and Meghan McKinlay
Most Improved - Musical Theatre Senior	Amy Ladley	Bradley McNee, Matthew Doubleday and Ellie Farrow
Most Improved Drama Junior	Eve Jones	Eliza Nelson and Olivia Mulvey
Most Improved Drama Senior	Mabinty Sissay	Ellie Woodhouse and Rowanne Walker-Heap
Special Contribution Junior	Hannah Buckley	Nisha Mayall, Melissa Saxon and George Devlin
Special Contribution Senior	Michael O'Rourke	Beth Linsdell, Johanna Batterby and Tom Varey
Sponsors Award	Lizzie Walker	Tom Varey, Bethan Macevoy, Lizzie Walker and Tara Rimawi

See the photos page for pics of the awards and the performances!

Next Gen scoop Best Director Award at the 2009 GMDF One Act Play Festival!

Congratulations to Kathryn Penton who won the award for 'Best Director' in the Youth category for "In The Blood" by Helen Wyngard. Congratulations also to the incredibly strong cast Clare McDermott, Georgia Hulmes and Hannah Claydon for fantastic performances, and thanks to Kate Manning for stepping into the role as the Prison Officer at the last minute for the Partington One Act Play Festival on 7th July!

Congratulations also to Teri Lowe, who won Best Actress in the Junior category at the Wilmslow Festival last year.

'Next Generation' tops

We will soon be putting in another order for ‘Next Generation’ tops for wearing at workshops, on trips etc. We are ordering T shirts, polo shirts, vest tops, fleeces and hooded sweatshirts (hoodies). Items are available in a choice of black or white (except hoodies and fleeces, which are only available in black). The Next Generation logo will be embroidered in purple on the left breast on the polo shirts, hoodies and fleeces, and printed larger on the T shirts and vests. Many of our members and staff already wear the tops and we have been very pleased with the quality of the garments. Listen out for announcements about when the next order will be placed.

Tom's Midnight Garden

In January, a group of Next Generation members and staff visited the Library Theatre in Manchester to see their production of 'Tom's Midnight Garden'. Everyone had an amazing time and found the experience not only entertaining but also informative.