West Kirby Light Opera Society announces audition dates as Titanic musical prepares to sail again

Jul 6 2011 by Lorna Hughes, Birkenhead News

WIRRAL performers could sail on the Titanic when it returns to Liverpool next year.

West Kirby Light Opera Society (WKLOS) will perform Titanic – The Musical at the Liverpool Empire Theatre again next summer, to mark the centenary year of the ship’s sinking.

The musical, first performed by the society in 2005, will form part of Liverpool’s Titanic 1912-2012 programme of events.

WKLOS are giving the public the opportunity to be part of the special production with Titanic workshops taking place on Monday, September 5 and September 12.

They will be followed by open auditions for all roles on Sunday, September 18 and Sunday, September 25.

There will also be an audition on Monday, September 19 at Hoylake Community Centre for anyone interested in being in the chorus.

Titanic – The Musical will be performed from June 5 to 9.

The show will again be directed by Sharon Henderson, with choreography from Deborah Clark and Rob Bowness as musical director.

WKLOS chairman Ray Davies said: “This is a great piece of theatre and one of WKLOS’s pride and joys.

“This show is rarely performed in the UK but is an absolute treat.

“It is wonderful that we are able to return with Titanic as part of the anniversary event.”

The sinking of the TITANIC in the early hours of April 15, 1912, remains the quintessential true-disaster story.

A total of 1,517 men, women and children lost their lives, with only 711 surviving.

Maury Yeston and Peter Stone’s musical about the ship was launched on Broadway in 1997, where it was hailed as a Broadway musical in the grand tradition of Show Boat, Oklahoma and West Side Story.

It swept the board at the 1997 Tony awards, winning in five categories.

The show examines the causes, the conditions and the real-life characters involved in the ship’s sinking.

WKLOS is known for its ambitious productions and last year the society marked its 60th anniversary year with a non-professional world premiere of Once Upon A Time at the Adelphi.

Its most recent production was Guys and Dolls at the Floral Pavilion Theatre, New Brighton in May.

For more information about the auditions visit www.wklos.org.uk

l Tickets for Titanic – The Musical are on sale now and are priced from £14-£20.

Call 0844 372 7272 or online at www.liverpoolempire.org.uk.