On the 15th February 2023 The Mission Theatre was delighted to welcome The Right Worshipful The Mayor of Bath, Cllr Rob Appleyard and The Mayoress, Amanda Appleyard for an opportunity to watch our Next Stage Youthers in action during a rehearsal of Next Stage’s upcoming production of The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole aged 13 ¾.

Met on arrival by Artistic Director, Ann Ellison BEM, The Mayor and the Mayoress were introduced to Christine Anderson, Musical Director and to the youth cast members and asked them about their interests, their involvement in Next Stage Youth, and The Mayor explained to the company about how, amongst other things, he has chosen “children and their voice” as the focus of his Mayoral term.

The Youthers then took to the stage for their rehearsal and absolutely wowed the The Mayor and the Mayoress with their singing and acting. It turns out that The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole aged 13 ¾ was a favorite book of the Mayoress, who could still remember the storyline almost word-for-word! By the end of the session everyone joined in the scene in the disco with the Mayor and Mayoress looking forward to seeing the actual show when Next Stage produces it: March 21st – 25th 2023

It was great to see our young actors giving their all at this rehearsal and they deserved the wonderfully enthusiastic and positive feedback they received from the Mayor and Mayoress.

Visits such as these are always appreciated, especially during such a busy half-term week for all concerned. Thank you to the Mayor and the Mayoress for their time and encouragement.