Miller Redpath Memorial Award for Most Memorable Moment
This award in presented in memory of one of our founder members, Miller Redpath, who sadly died in 2013. Miller’s personality, unique singing voice and head-banging style of dancing are always the first things we remember when thinking of that initial show.
The Memorable Moment Award is given to a person or group of people involved in an event or incident which springs instantly to mind when recalling a production in the last 12 months.
AND THE WINNER IS….. The Donkeys
The three donkeys in Arabian Nights were small roles that left a big impression. Their masks, mannerisms and comical “Eeyoores” made us chuckle every time – even after seeing it over and over. The audiences loved the donkeys too, giving them the biggest laugh every night.
Thank you to Jasmine, Katie and Kai for a marvellous memory.
We do expect a lot from our cast – we expect them to turn up to all rehearsals with the equipment they need, learn their words, moves and dances, practice at home, find costumes pieces etc etc. Thank you to all our cast that do all of that so well.
The Outstanding Personal Contribution award is given to a Rising Stars member who has made the biggest personal contribution to the success of Rising Stars in the previous 12 months. In a nutshell, someone who has gone above and beyond what is ordinarily expected of a member.
AND THE WINNER IS….. Lewis
Lewis was recognised for all the support they have given to the production team over the last 12 months. As well as always volunteering to help set up and clear away equipment after rehearsals, his contribution to the technical aspects of the show has been much appreciated.
He has helped in the design and set-up of the lighting, assisted in configuring the microphones for sound checks, helped to build set and props and ensured that everything was in the correct place backstage.
Rising Stars held their annual awards ceremony after the last performance of Arabian Nights on Saturday 29th March 2025. The first two awards were for the Most Improved Members.
It was very obvious to us right from the start that being in Rising Stars was more than just singing, dancing and putting on a show. We noticed that members grew in confidence, made new friends and developed all sorts of essential life skills, such as teamwork, interpersonal skills and management.
The Most Improved Member award is not given to the most talented cast member – although many of our previous winners have developed into great performers and taken principal roles. The award is given to the member who has shown the most improvement in some aspect of their performance skills or personality in the previous 12 months as a direct result of their involvement with Rising Stars.
There are two awards in this category – Under 13 Years & 13 years and over.
Most Improved Member – Under 13 years
AND THE WINNER IS….. Lily
When Lily first tried to join Rising Stars, she was so shy and nervous that she couldn’t sing in front of us. Unsuccessful in that attempt, she tried again for the next show and has grown in confidence and ability ever since. She even went on to audition for (and get) the role of The Tailor in Arabian Nights – a role that required great characterisation and solo singing.
Over the last 12 months, we have had great pleasure in watching her improve in confidence and always prepared to push herself outside of her comfort zone to try new things. Well done, Lily!
Most Improved Member – 13 years and over
AND THE WINNER IS….. Millie
Millie has been a member of Rising Stars for a few years and has always been a popular and much-valued member of the group. However, over the last 12 months, the improvement in her acting has been phenomenal. With very little input from the production team, she took every role she played and made it her own, making each performance fresh and 100% convincing – as well as learning huge amounts of dialogue and getting it word perfect every time.
Well done Millie! We are so fortunate to have such a talented actor in our group.
Congratulations to you both. We look forward to seeing you perform in many more shows with us.
Congratulations to Tess on being awarded a Long Service Award after appearing in 10 or more productions with Rising Stars.
Tess joined us in 2019, first performing in our Summer show ‘The Evacuees’. She has gone on to take many principal and ensemble roles and is a valued member of the Rising Stars family.
Please be advised that the 2025 Annual General Meeting of WLOG & Rising Stars will take place at 7:45pm on Wednesday 12th February 2025 in the Quaker Hall, Smallgate, Beccles.
All members of Rising Stars who have paid their 50p membership fee since April 2024 (cast members of Here We Go Again! & Arabian Nights) are invited to attend, but only members who have reached their 14th birthday will be eligible to vote.
The agenda, minutes of the last AGM, some reports and other documents will be circulated in due course.
Best regards The Committees of WLOG & Rising Stars
Still looking for a last-minute present for that hard-to-buy for person? Theatre tickets make great presents. Buy your tickets for Arabian Nights NOW by clicking the link below.
The cast of talented 9 to 18 year olds are currently putting their finishing flourishes to this dramatic and wondrous production which will be staged nightly in Beccles Public Hall & Theatre from Thursday 27th to Saturday 29th March 2025 at 7.30pm.
Long ago in a far-off land, a King is to be married to the beautiful Sheherazade. No one is celebrating, for the vengeful and brutal King Shahryar has executed 1000 wives before her. The same fate awaits Sheherazade and only her gift of storytelling can save her life. Can she melt her tyrant husband’s cold heart with her tales of treasures, monsters, genies and magic and create a true love story of her own?
The multi-talented young cast sing, dance, act and take on many different characters as Sheherazade’s stories are brought to life on stage. In full costume and accompanied by live musicians, this stunning musical is suitable for all the family.
Arabian Nights is the next fully staged show in an ever growing line of successful musical productions by the Beccles-based musical theatre group, whose previous credits have included Legally Blonde, The Addams Family and Peter Pan. Although the majority of the cast are under 18, they pride themselves on bringing the high quality and professionalism that you would expect of any theatre company to all of their performances.
Tickets for Arabian Nights are priced at £13 for adults and £10 for under 18s and can be purchased online at any time from the Beccles Public Hall Box Office using the button below.
Tickets can also be purchased by visiting Beccles Public Hall Box Office in person or by telephoning 01502 770060. The Box Office is open Monday to Saturday, 10am to 3pm and accepts both debit and credit cards.
We had a large number of young people applying to audition for us and were blown away by the quality of their auditions and the talent they showed us.
This gave us a tough couple of hours deliberating, but we finally have a full cast for Arabian Nights.
Congratulations to all successful candidates, and commiserations those that did not make the cast this time. It’s so sad to have to turn away talented youngsters who have put so much time and effort in auditioning. You all did yourselves proud and we would have included everyone if we could fit you all on stage and in the dressing rooms!
Rehearsals have started already and we had lots of fun at our first script read-through for Arabian Nights.
With tales of treasures, monsters, genies and magic, fabulous music and an amazingly talented cast – we are so excited about this show!
We are now taking bookings for audition slots for Arabian Nights.
Cast auditions will be on Friday 4th September (evening) and Sunday 6th October (daytime).
To book your place, please complete and return an Application to Audition form (available from our downloads page) by Sunday 29th September.
Audition rehearsals start on Friday 20th September from 7-9pm in Blyburgate Hall, Beccles for anyone who would like to be in the cast as a principal and/or a company member.
Full details of Pre-audition rehearsals
Friday 20th September, 7pm – 9pm Company & principal audition practice / guidance
Sunday 22nd September, 2pm – 4pm Principal singing audition practice / guidance
Friday 27th September, 7pm – 9pm Movement workshop. Company audition practice
Sunday 29th September, 2pm – 4pm Company & principal audition practice / guidance
All rehearsals are in Blyburgate Hall, Beccles.
Don’t panic if you can’t attend all the pre-audition rehearsals as the character descriptions and audition requirements are detailed in the Arabian Nights Cast Information (available from our downloads page)
We look forward to meeting you at a rehearsal and hope you take advantage of this opportunity to perform with our friendly and talented group.
Are you 8 to 19 years old and can sing, dance or act? Now is your opportunity to join the award-winning Rising Stars for –
Arabian Nights
To be performed in Beccles Public Hall on the 27th – 29th March 2025
Rising Stars is looking for enthusiastic and talented singers, dancers and actors (especially boys!) to perform in this enchanting musical full of Eastern promise.
Arabian Nights follows the story of Scheherazade as she tries to save her own life by telling 1001 stories to the heartless king. Upset from his failed first marriage, King Shahryar marries a new woman each day and then kills her the next morning! To try and stop this, Scheherazade offers to marry the King – against the wishes of her family – but delays her execution by captivating him with familiar stories such as Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves and Sinbad the Sailor.
All existing members and anyone wishing to join Rising Stars are invited to an Information Evening at 7pm on Friday 13th September in Blyburgate Hall, Beccles, where there will be the opportunity to find out more about the show, meet the production team and get more details about how to audition to be in the cast or for a principal role.
To become an Arabian Nights cast member, you will need to:
Be a student in school year 3 or above (max age 19)
Book an audition slot by completing an Application to Audition form (available on the 8th or afterwards from the downloads page)
Attend the auditions on Friday 6th October (evening) and Sunday 6th October (afternoon).
These are open auditions. ALL roles and ensemble are available for casting.
For more information on how to get involved with this exciting, friendly and award-winning group of young performers, come along to the Information Evening or contact us.
If you can’t make it to the Information Evening but are still interested in being involved with the show, just let us know and we’ll make sure all the information given out on the night is emailed to you.
