East Midlands Musical Theatre Choir launched by West End alum Alan Bradshaw, who has performed on Broadway and alongside Strictly Come Dancing stars
Those looking to make new friends and find their voices are being urged to come and try a new choir ahead of their upcoming summer show.
The East Midlands Musical Theatre Choir was launched by West End alum Alan Bradshaw recently, aiming to not only help local people to have fun and discover a love of singing, but to raise money for charities too.
Alan has been performing since he was just seven years old, competing in Latin and ballroom competitions when he was growing up in Scunthorpe — at one point against fellow Lincolnshire-born dancer and Strictly Come Dancing star Kevin Clifton.
He then began training in musical theatre and moved to London in 1999, landing his first role in the West End production of Calamity Jane — choreographed by Strictly judge Craig Revel Horwood — alongside Toyah Wilcox as Jane.
Over the years, Alan has starred in endless West End shows both on and off stage, with some of his highlights including resident director of School of Rock, nurturing the talents of the many young performers for three years.
He also names appearing in the recent movie Wonka as a dancer and alongside Imelda Staunton in Hello Dolly at the London Palladium among his highlights: “I’ve been very lucky”, he said.
After moving out of London after more than 20 years and settling in Fernwood, Alan wanted to not only meet new people in his new home, but to share his love of musical theatre with the community.
“I chose Newark because it’s a lovely market town — which is what we wanted after 20 years in London and I wanted to do something to integrate into the area.”
And now, Alan has created the East Midlands Musical Theatre Choir, a not-for-profit group which performs concerts with a wide range of music to suit all tastes — from well-known contemporary numbers to unknown musical pieces — and with people aged 16 to 80 involved.
“We’ve got three generations of one family who sing with us and you don’t need to have any singing experience at all, just a love of music,” Alan said.
In the new year, the choir will be rehearsing for their next fundraising show, set to take place over the summer, and any new members are being urged to come along.
“Singing in a choir has been show to lift the mood,” Alan said, “In this day and age where everything is going up, it really does help people to feel better.
“It’s not a kind of therapy but everyone is invited to come for a free trial and they will be made to feel very welcome.”
You can find out more at the choir’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/musicaltheatrechoir?locale=en_GB
East Midlands Musical Theatre Choir meets every Thursday at the Suthers School from 6.30pm to 8pm, and the first session is a free trial period, with every meeting £7 subscription thereafter.