Macclesfield theatre fans snap up tickets for summer shows

Summer shows by Cheshire youngsters have been given a sales boost thanks to Macclesfield shoppers.

Musical theatre fans snapped up tickets for the Midsummer in Macclesfield events, when  they went on sale at the town’s Grosvenor Shopping Centre.

They were being sold by Cheshire Youth Group for New and Emerging Talent on Stage (CYGNETS), which will be staging the shows from June to August

The children, along with adults, will be performing at a concert Encore! on June 27 at St Michaels and All Angels Church, Macclesfield, with tunes from Sister Act, Jesus Christ Superstar, Moulin Rouge, Blood Brothers, Little Shop of Horrors, Avenue Q, Godspell plus Jekyll and Hyde.

The group is also running a course, Sing Lion King In A Day,  on June 28.  Those taking part will learn  songs from the hit musical, with African dancing and drumming thrown in, and culminating in a performance at 7.30pm at St Michaels Church.

The group has also got a performance licence to stage smash-hit West End and Broadway show Matilda  the Musical, which was written by Dennis Kelly with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin. A five-day-long course for seven to 16-year-olds will see the show staged on the final evening.

The events are being masterminded by Kalini Kent who runs CYGNETS. She said: “The aim is to put on high quality performing arts events, giving people a chance to try different  things and to cater for a variety of musical tastes.

“We are expecting the Midsummer Encore! concert to be very popular as we now have a dedicated audience following the success of our previous concerts, and the standard of performances is always very high.

“Those taking part in the Lion King and Matilda events in June to August  will work with top directors gaining many new skills whilst learning the songs, creating exciting dance routines and re-enacting the stories.”

Ed Kennedy, Grosvenor Shopping Centre manager, said: “The tickets were very popular and people were interested in finding out more about these musical events.

“We have a very talented and culturally aware community here in Macclesfield so I am sure these events will be welcomed by all ages.”

As a theatre group, CYGNETS was established in 2010 to develop skills in all aspects of  the performing arts, provide a variety of performance opportunities, promote youth talent, and to use theatre, music and drama to increase confidence, improve self-esteem and as an aid to personal and social development.

It has previously  held sell-out performances of charity concerts, stage shows, one day events and holiday courses.

Kalini, who lives in Bollington with her husband and two children, said: “When my son  was in his final year of school, there was no end of year performance or anything he and other school friends locally could do outside of school, so I decided to try and organise something. We held a meeting and 54 children turned up.”

The response led to the formation of CYGNETS  and Kalini, who is the owner and  Principal of  the Helen O’Grady Drama Academy,  now runs that as well as directing for several other theatre groups throughout the year.

For details of all events taking place visit www.cygnets.org

Main picture: Kalini Kent from CYGNETS drama group with Grosvenor Shopping Centre manager Ed Kennedy launch the tickets going on sale for this summer’s performances