* Shea Ferron is amongst those appearing in the special charity show next month.
A young entertainer who
became a local celebrity after appearing in a string of hit productions with a
junior stage group is amongst the line-up of an all-star charity concert in
Llangollen next month.
Shea Ferron, 20, has played leading roles
in a host of musicals presented by the Young’ Uns, the junior section of
Llangollen Operatic Society, including Half a Sixpence, Honk! the
Musical, Bugsy Malone, Joseph, 9 to 5, Grease, Wizard of Oz and Little Shop of
Horrors.
He has also been
entertaining crowds with his solo performances since he was a tot, raising
thousands of pounds for various charities.
And Shea, now away at
college, became one of the first to sign up when three of Llangollen’s most popular amateur stage groups decided
to join forces for the first time ever to present a glittering variety and
music hall show in aid of the earthquake victims of Turkey and Syria.
Llangollen Operatic Society, Llangollen Twenty Club and
The Collen Players are combining their considerable talents to stage Llangollen on Show for Turkey and Syria
at Llangollen Town Hall over two nights on Thursday and Friday May 11 and 12.
All proceeds will go to support the Disaster Emergency
Committee in which 15 of the UK’s top charities have come together to supply a
lifeline to thousands of survivors of the earthquake which devastated southern
and central Turkey and northern and western Syria in February.
Organisers say it will also be the perfect way to
celebrate the coronation of King Charles III which will have taken place the
previous weekend.
The Llangollen entertainers have spent months planning
for the big show which will see each of the groups involved showcasing their
skills to audiences of up 250 on each of the two performances.
The Operatic, an all-singing and dancing outfit, will
perform numbers from the smash-hit shows Hamilton, Six, Oliver Les Miserables
and Half a Sixpence, while the Twenty
Club drama group will present comedy sketches – some specially written for the
occasion – based on their own hilarious past hits such as Blackadder and Absolutely
Fabulous.
The Collen Players will provide a taste of the
rip-roaring Victorian music hall shows for which they have rapidly become
famous, with their founder, Lee Taylor, acting as chairman for the show which
starts each night at 7.30pm.
There will be a bar and prize raffle on both nights and a
number of local businesses have pledged their financial support.
Shea Ferron is
currently on BA (Hons)
Performing Arts course at the ICTheatre
College in Manchester and is also a member of the John’s Boys Choir which
recently won the male voice choir category of the Derry International Choral
Festival in Northern Ireland and was the 2019 Choir of the World winners
at Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.
Shea, who will be belting out the
songs on this occasion for the Collen Players, said: “The reason I signed up
for Llangollen on Show for Turkey and
Syria is because it’s a great opportunity to do what I absolutely love and
is raising money for a fantastic cause.
“It’s also very exciting that the three main performing
arts societies within the town are performing together. It’s going to be one
special night indeed.”
Tracey Kempster Jones, one of the show’s organisers,
said: “Llangollen is famously bursting with entertainment talent and this show will
be a historic occasion because never before have all three of Llangollen’s main
stage groups come together to put on such a show.
“Almost as soon as all of us heard about the dreadful
earthquake in Turkey and Syria we know we had to do something.
“We’ve had some really dedicated people working on the
show, both on stage and behind the scenes, and we’re counting on our respective
regular audiences and others to come along to support this fantastic cause and
have a great night into the bargain.”
Tickets for the show, priced at £12 (no concessions) are
available online at www.ticketsource.co.uk/llangollenoperaticsociety or
from Courtyard Books, Llangollen, and the Llangollen Oggie Shop in Caste Street
or on the door on the night. Demand is expected to be such that organisers
advise on booking early.
