2010 Meet Me in St Louis
Wilfie Pyper brought his considerable experience as a director and performer
to the Northern Ireland amateur premiere of this show. Billy
Cairns, MBE and Angela Harding were
MD and choreographer respectively.
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2009 Guys and Dolls (Youth Group)
2009 Fiddler on the Roof
Olive Melville took the reins to produce her first show, along with Billy
Cairns, MBE and Angela Harding.
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2008 Strictly Youth - The Next Generation (Youth
Group)
Photo Gallery
2008 My Fair Lady
The production team remained the same - with another sell-out show. Eugene
O'Hagan (Professor Higgins) received an AIMS Nomination for Best Male Singer.
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gallery
2007 Bugsy (Youth
Group)
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2007 Calamity Jane
Siobhan Mullin directed us for the first time, in a show that was a hit with
the audience as well as the adjudicators. It was nominated in four categories
at the Association of Irish Musical Societies awards. Fiona
Keegan won Best Female Voice as Calamity
Jane, with the whole cast winning Best Chorus. Angela
Harding claimed runner-up for the Best Choreographer, and we came second
in the Best Overall Show category.
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gallery
2006 Oliver! (Youth
Group)
How do we do it? Every year, we discover new, exciting talent - and this year
was no exception. There were so many accomplished performers on stage. It's
encouraging to know that the future of the company is secure!
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Gallery
2006 Hello, Dolly!
Another box office success, with sell-out audiences all week. Even the matinee
performance had a very respectable turn-out. As usual, there was a blend of
youth and experience, with a number of members of our Youth Group joining the
chorus - and playing some of the lead roles too!
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gallery
2005 My Fair Lady (Youth
Group)
This was a challenging choice of show for our Youth Group, but as usual, they
rose to the occasion to produce four sell-out performances that any adult company
would have been proud of. It is always encouraging to see new talent given a
chance to shine, and there were a number of rising stars on stage.
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gallery
2005 Anything Goes
The show was a great success - as the word spread during our week-long run in
the Waterfront Studio, demand for tickets led to a waiting list for last-minute
cancellations. The dedication from the cast was exemplified by Eoin Donnelly
(John), who completed the last two shows on crutches, having broken a bone in
his foot trying to escape an over-excited pack of autograph hunters!
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gallery
2004 Fiddler on the Roof (Youth
Group)
Several members graduated this year, starring with the "oldies" in
Brigadoon. This left room for some new stars to shine.
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gallery
2004 Brigadoon
Our first show with Producer / Choreographer Declan
Moore was well-received. Several of our Youth Group "veterans"
took on supporting roles with consummate ease.
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gallery
2003 Annie (Youth
Group)
Another roaring success for the Youth Group. With the original 4 shows being
sold out within a few weeks, we were forced to add an extra show to satisfy
the huge demand for tickets.
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gallery
2003 The Pirates of Penzance
To celebrate our Silver Anniversary, we went back to our roots, reprising the
show that we first performed in 1978.
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gallery
2002 The Wizard of Oz (Youth
Group)
Over 70 people, on stage and behind the scenes, celebrated the Youth Group's
10th Anniversary with this highly enjoyable show. At times, it was difficult
to tell who enjoyed it more - the audience or the performers!
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gallery
2002 The Gondoliers
This was our first visit to the ntl: studio at The Waterfront.
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Gallery
2001 Oklahoma!
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2000 Oliver!
An ideal show for a new millennium as it celebrated the whole range of talent
that our society possesses. Once more, we have excelled with a superb show which
pleased audiences and critics alike. We were particularly fortunate to have
the great talent of Eugene O'Hagan
as Fagin.
1999 The King and I
This ever-popular show starred the superb Tony Finnegan and well acclaimed
star of many Belfast shows, Ceara Grehan.
This show was a great success despite the shock of the closure of the Belfast
Civic Arts Theatre only two weeks before we were due to go on stage. Thankfully,
though at great cost, we were able to perform in a local church hall.
The critics and the audience loved us! What...you don't believe me? We did wonderfully at this year's AIMS awards. We were runners-up for Best Overall Show - the only Northern Irish society to be nominated for this category. Even more impressive was the Special Adjudicator Award which we received for the superb ballet scene. We also received the award for Best Costumes. Congratulations also go to Mairead Weir for her TWO nominations.
1998 Die Fledermaus
This year’s show was a smash hit, perhaps one of the most impressive amateur
shows in Northern Ireland for some time. The combination of Billy Cairns,
Tony Finnegan and Wendy Mairs was excellent and created a superb
principal line-up and an incredible chorus. The show came second in the AIMS
awards for Best Male Voice (Eugene
O’Hagan), Best Female Voice (Helen McCrisken), Best
Chorus and Best Musical Director (Billy
Cairns).
1997 The Merry Widow
1996 Carousel
This show won at Bangor again with awards for Best Female Voice to both
Mairead Healey and Siobhán Mullan,
Best Actor and Best Male Voice.
Mairead Healey also received the AIMS
award for Best Female Voice.
1995 Brigadoon
More success in Bangor: Best Musical Director (guess who!), Best Supporting
Male (Joe O'Connor) and Best Chorus.
1994 Fiddler on the Roof
This was the Overall Winner at Bangor, with individual prizes including
Best Producer (Peter Kennedy),
Best Musical Director (Billy Cairns
.... AGAIN!), Best Chorus and Best Supporting Actress.
This was also the main society’s first visit to the Waterford Festival for Light Opera.
1993 White Horse Inn
This was Overall Winner at Bangor festival. Another award winning Youth
Group production, this time for Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!
This year we held our first set
of concerts at Ballyearl’s Courtyard Theatre in Newtownabbey, which we revisit
every Christmas. (Book early to avoid
disappointment!)
1992 The Sound of Music
1992 The Boyfriend (Youth
Group)
The youth group performed a highly successful production of The Boyfriend.
A multi-award winner at several festivals, the youth group achieved Overall
Winner at both Derry and Bangor festivals.
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1991 The Mikado
This G&S show won awards in Bangor for Billy Galloway (Best Supporting
Male) and Billy Cairns (Best
Musical Director), and brought success to the chorus, which won the
prestigious recognition of the AIMS adjudicator
who awarded us the Best Chorus award for all Ireland.
1990 The Merry Widow
As usual (!), Billy Cairns collected
the Bangor award for Best Musical Director.
1989 Annie
This was our first show in The Arts Theatre. Emma McGrath played the
title role, and won the award for The Most Promising Performer. Winnie
Briggs (Miss Hannigan) won the Best Comedienne award at the Bangor
Festival.
1988 The Gondoliers
Our first show in a professional theatre. Billy
Cairns won Best Musical Director (again!) at the Bangor Festival.
1987 Orpheus in the Underworld - Two awards at the Bangor Festival - Billy Cairns: Best Musical Director and Ernie Huntley: Best Comedian.
1986 Yeoman of the Guard
Two more awards at the Bangor Festival - Ernie Huntley: Best Actor
and Michael Blair: Best Comedian.
1985 Fiddler on the Roof
1985 Oliver! (Youth Group)
1984 Lilac Time
1983 Iolanthe
Margaret McGahan again won at Bangor Festival, this time as Best Actress.
1983 The Sound Of Music (Youth Group)
This show saw the beginnings of Fortwilliam’s Youth
Group, one of Northern Ireland’s longest running and most enthusiastic young
musical groups!
Fortwilliam Musical Society took part in Cavalcade of Song for the first time and also began their work with Rosemary Church Choir celebrating Easter through choral music.
1982 Die Fledermaus
1981 The Gypsy Baron
This year saw a new musical director take the helm. Billy
Cairns, began a run that has so far lasted more than two decades.
We also made the first of many award-winning appearances at the Northern Ireland Festival of Light Opera in Bangor, Co. Down. The society won Best Chorus, while Margaret McGahan won Best Female Voice.
1980 The Mikado
1979 The Gondoliers
1978 The Pirates of Penzance
Our first show was performed in a local school and a local church hall. With
a confidence born of ignorance, the company performed Gilbert and Sullivan's
The Pirates of Penzance in May. With commendable courage, Joan McCready
produced the show, Gerry Deignan directed the music, and Larry White
constructed the set out of scrap timber. An orchestra, comprising mostly school
children, provided the music. The show was a great success. The audiences and
members had a ball. Almost nobody was paid and we made a profit.