Clacton Community Theatre set to perform High School Musical

Clacton Community Theatre has worked hard for the past five months to put on two shows at the Princes Theatre in Clacton.

The group, which includes youngsters aged between 11 and 18, are doing it all for a good cause, raising funds for Cancer Research UK and Clacton Relay for Life.

Last year’s production Hairspray raised £5,200 for the charity and this year they hope to raise even more.

Emily Batson, founder of Clacton Community Theatre, said: “We were thinking of ways to raise money for Relay for Life.

“Initially we thought about a local showcase, nothing too big, to raise a few pennies and have some fun.

“But we thought why not give Clacton something else to be proud of?

“So, we looked into doing a musical.

“We booked the theatre, spoke to some local businesses to sponsor the show, held open auditions for local young people, rehearsed for five months and then our incredible show raised a fantastic £5,200.”

Auditions for this year’s High School Musical production were held in February.

Now, 25 children are ready to get back on stage.

Emily said: “Some of them were involved in Hairspray, but the majority are brand new to the show this year.

“It is great to see their friendships develop and their individual confidence grow – some of our cast have never been on a stage before or performed in public.

“The cast have all worked so hard over the past five months and I am so proud of every single one of them.

“They have all improved so much and it really is going to be a great show.”

Darren Couchman, fundraising manager for Cancer Research UK, said: “It’s great to have the youth of Clacton supporting our life-saving research.”

“We need to shout about the good things our young community is doing.

“We rely heavily on people giving up their time to support the fight against cancer”

The two shows are on August 29, and August 30 at 7.30pm.

Tickets cost £12 for adults and £10 for under 16s, from princestheatre.co.uk.