A LOCAL Amateur Dramatic society is going from strength to strength in it's 109th year- appointing two of it's long standing members into their leadership team of their junior section.

Maryport Amateur Operatic & Dramatic Society run ‘Spotlight on MAODS’ which is the societies junior section.It has been running strong with 30 children since it was re-established in 2012.

Spotlight provides children with weekly sessions, where they not only make new friends but gain the skills and confidence in musical theatre. The sessions are ran by adult Leaders who have been part of the society for numerous years and can share past stage experiences.

At the end of 2021, following their production of Scrooge in the Carnegie Theatre, the society made the decision to make long standing junior members Ellie Rowley and Beth Smith Junior Leaders within Spotlight.

Ellie who has been a member for 8 years and Beth for 9 years, have grown up in the society staring in many of the junior and adult productions.

Both have played principal roles, including Ellie as Jennifer Lore in the 2019 production of Nativity! The Musical and Beth as the Scarecrow in the 2018 production of The Wizard of Oz, for which she was nominated for a NODA award.

Junior Section Coordinator, Rebecca Wood, said: “Ellie & Beth are both talented young ladies, who I have had the pleasure of watching grow up and develop within their time in the society. I am pleased to welcome them into their new roles within the junior section and I hope that they will continue to grow in the society” said Junior Section Coordinator, Rebecca Wood.

“Both Ellie & Beth have been supporting the Leaders in sessions for the past couple of years, so it has been a pleasure to recognise their hard work. I hope that there will be other Spotlighters looking to step up into the Junior Leader role in the near future”

A parent quoted “It’s lovely for my child to have such positive role models in the older members of Spotlight, who they can look up to and aspire to be like”

MAODS have their production of Matilda, an all-junior show, along with other exciting plans in the pipeline in 2022.

If any parents are looking for their child to join Spotlight, applications are encouraged for their waiting list. Enquiries can be sent to the Facebook Page “Spotlight on MAODS”.