Young Promenaders Is the junior section of Promenade Productions, and is aimed at children aged 6-16 with an interest in the theatre.

Meeting fortnightly, during term time, Young Promenaders is run by members of Promenade Productions and gives children the opportunity to expand their knowledge of the theatre through acting, singing and learning about all aspects of the theatre.

Young Promenaders are encouraged to take part in pantomimes & musicals where appropriate, & meet every other Wednesday from 6.45 - 7.45pm at Emmanuel Church Hall.

For further information on how, to get involved or become a member, please click on the contact section in the menu.

It all began back in February when we fortunately received a generous grant from the BBC Performing Arts Fund; this meant that we could go forth and start rehearsing and preparing for the show.
By March we had found ourselves with a marvellous cast and crew. With our Directors, Beth Gilbert and Heather Gallagher, being only 15 and 16, and having no experience of directing before, it was a huge task for them to take on.
Of course, the adults were always there to help if it was needed but surprisingly little was used. We had a cast of over 40, with an age range from 6-16, all enthusiastic to make the show a success.

The rehearsals ran from March to September, learning all the songs, dances and dialog needed for the show. This gave every child ago at all three disciplines, building their confidence for the show and in amateur dramatics in general. Everyone in the cast and crew seemedto enjoy every step of the rehearsals and by September everyone was prepared to get on stage to show off their skills and talent to their friends and family!

The story, cleverly crafted by Malcolm Sircom, included jokes and puns referring to many Gilbert and Sullivan Shows, which although the children did not necessarily understand, the older members of the audience did, giving a great reaction well accepted by the cast. This helped the children relax and enjoy their time on stage. 

Many Gilbert and Sullivan characters were brought into the show, including; The Duke Of Plaza-Toro (From the Gondoliers), Admiral Sir Joseph Porter (From HMS Pinafore) and Major-General Stanley (From the Pirates of Penzance). 


The chorus contained a bunch of fluttering fairy's, pinafore pirates, proud policemen and fearful islanders; this gave the children a range of characters to get their teeth stuck into.

The show opened with a beautiful number 'Paragonia' which included most of the cast singing and dancing around their island. The plot centred on Daisy, Buttercup's daughter, played beautifully by Rosie Weston, who seeks help to thwart a band of outrageous female pirates who had taken her lover hostage from the troubled island of Paragonia, The Pirates were led by the evil Pirate Queen who was played wickedly by Rosa Day-Jones. Aboard the pirate ship we saw the pirates let out there voices during 'Pinafore Pirates' the song, also aboard the ship was the Irish cook Sam O'Nella who helped bring laughter to the audience and Christopher, their hostage played by Josh Jones . Caitlin Gallagher, who played Iolanthe, the Fairy Queen, soon brightened up the stage with her fellow fairy followers, as they sang and danced charmingly around their enchanted forest to open scene three.

The scene ended also on a high with Daisy ready with an army to take on the pirates. Scene four was the climax of the show, it opened with a twist, the Pirates acted sorry for the trouble they had caused and sang 'Damsels in Distress', but this was all an act as we soon find out when the army were taken by surprise.
During this scene we saw every child enjoy themselves singing in tune and harmony, you really could tell these children were delighted to have been a part of it. The story had a happy ending just like every story should; the pirates had been reformed and Daisy and Christopher were reunited.

It did not end there! After the show we donated a percentage of the profits created to the Cheltenham Festival of Performing Arts to show our support towards the arts in our community. The Festival gratefully received our donation.

Written by Tim Phelps & Josh Jones.