The Celebrations Continue

You're, no doubt, aware that 2023 marked the 100th Anniversary of Shrewsbury Musical Theatre Company, previously known as Shrewbury Amateur Operatic Society (SAOS). We were delighted that, thanks to those who play the National Lottery, a generous award last summer from the National Lottery Heritage Fund meant we were able to conduct an extensive history project, resulting in a captivating Shrewsbury Museum exhibition displaying precious memorabilia dating back to our very first production in 1923. The funding also helped us co-ordinate a special programme of 'memory catcher' interviews for the Oral History side of the project and it enabled us to add a few extra special touches to our nostalgic celebratory concert at Theatre Severn, 'A Century of Songs', in June 2023.

It was an eclectic evening of music, covering light opera to modern musical theatre and everything in between, but interspersed amongst the song and dance numbers were video clips which also celebrated the rich history of the company. One portrayed 4 generations of the same family whose involvement dated back to the 1930s. Another had both audience and cast crying with laughter - a slide-show of photos from a naked calendar produced as a charity fundraiser a quarter of a century ago!

For those lucky enough to be in the audience or on stage that night, or for those unable to attend, we are delighted to give you another chance to witness this unforgettable evening, attended by the Mayor of Shrewsbury and awarded a 5-star review by Love Shrewsbury Magazine.

Watch the video below to the end if you'd also like to see a photographic tribute to SMTC, showing our rich artistic contributions to Shrewsbury over the past century. It will make you smile and will certainly bring back the fondest of memories for many!

Like we said, the Centenary celebrations continue. Again, thanks to the Lottery funding, staff at the Shropshire Archives are currently working on the cataloguing and digitisation of our collection of programmes and other memorabilia. We'll soon be able to share with you digital versions of so many precious artefacts in the collection, some of which date back to our very first performance: The Gondoliers, 1923.

Thank you to all who have taken part in our 'memory catcher' interviews, so far. We've chatted to people with past involvement, to current members and even to family members of absent friends who once trod the boards or worked backstage with us. These unique spoken memories will also be preserved by the Shropshire Archives, to be made available to future generations, researchers, academics and more.

If you'd like to have your own voice heard in this way, do get in touch. The project continues for another few months and we'd love to hear from you!

Email us: smtc-history@outlook.com