Stage musicals have been seeing a rise in popularity in the last few years, with new adaptations of films and books popping up year after year, from Beetlejuice, Groundhog Day and Back to The Future to a recently announced adaptation of A Knight’s Tale coming to Manchester in 2025. With that being said, where is Rotherham’s contribution to this growing trend? What is Rotherham’s musical theatre scene like, and how, and where can you get involved?
Rotherham does have a thriving youth musical theatre presence, with Youth Groups like RTSA and Wickersley Youngstars performing at the Civic theatre year after year with sold out performances of popular musicals. However, for adults, it’s easy to feel like there are very few opportunities to perform or find non-youth groups to watch. This is especially true after the Covid-19 pandemic a few years back, which lead to the demise of at least one well known local theatre group, of which I was once a member. WMTC (Wickersley Musical Theatre Company) was officially and unceremoniously dissolved after 52 years due to declining funds in the wake of the pandemic, and I can only imagine this has been true for, or nearly true for many other groups in Rotherham.
Is it hopeless then? Are there so few groups left to take Rotherham’s various stages?
To put it simply… no. There might not be many groups that can perform full musicals or plays, but there are plenty – and believe me, I mean plenty – of cabaret and variety groups gracing in the area. These groups might not give you a fully scripted and acted out version of Les Misérables, but they might have some of its music in a medley, along with plenty of other selections from Musicals and beyond. Take for example Thurcroft Musical Theatre Group (TMTG) a local group that just last year celebrated it’s 100th year of operation with ‘Rock the Century’, a jaunt through the last 100 years of music, from Elvis to Queen and right the way up to Lady Gaga. I joined this group back in 2022 and haven’t looked back since. TMTG aren’t the only cabaret group in the area, with Wales Community Theatre Players being another prominent example, having performed their show ‘Showstoppers’, back in July. Or how about Sherlock Productions, a variety theatre group based in Swinton who’re currently working on their December pantomime version of Beauty and the Beast. It isn’t easy for these groups to continue operating though, with new and stricter rules being introduced year after year on what content can and can’t be included, or what changes can and can’t be made, these groups often find themselves struggling to afford new costs, exacerbated by how difficult it is to advertise when you aren’t allowed to mention half of what will be in the performance!
From the finale of Thurcroft Musical Theatre Group's 'Rock The Century'
My time with Wickersley Youngstars, WMTC, and Thurcroft, as well as going to watch performances in Rotherham and Sheffield’s vibrant and varied theatres, gave me an appreciation for music that I never had growing up, and inspired me to no end, eventually leading me to my current traineeship with Rotherham Music. Musicals and stage performances are an often-ignored avenue of exploration for musicians and music lovers, so if you want to explore the music scene in Rotherham, but don’t like concerts or festivals, maybe give theatre a try, we’ll be happy to have you. Performing on stage is a fun, accessible and community driven way of expressing your creativity, and most, if not all local groups are accepting of anyone if they have the drive to get involved and make the most of it.
If you want to find your local amateur theatre groups, look at the NODA Northeast website here: North East - NODA. Be sure to check out and support performances put on by local Rotherham groups too.
Find the groups I've mentioned here:
Wickersley Youngstars: Wickersley Youngstars
WalesCTP: HOME | walesctp Sherlock Productions: Sherlock Productions | Swinton | Facebook
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