Theatre group gets a new Leith of life
Actors excited to be getting ready for return to stage
Rehearsals have begun for local theatre group, the Livingston Players’production of‘Sunshine on Leith’.
Tickets are on sale now as the theatre group, which is made up entirely of local amateur actors in West Lothian, plans to put on the show from May 25 to May 28 in the Brian Duguid Auditorium at the Howden Park Centre.
The Livingston Players, which was founded in the 70s, is a charity.
There are now more than 50 members in the group, ranging from the ages of 12 to 70.
The talented group of performers has won several awards for their acting, production, and staging.
Pamela Murray, secretary for the Livingston Players who is also acting in the musical, is delighted that a new show is in the pipeline and urged people to come along to see just how talented they are.
She said: “Our new production of Sunshine on Leith is a great opportunity for the community to come out and see what our local talent can do.
“All our members are local to the area, everyone from the directors to the musicians to the actors – apart from the choreographers, who we have had to bring in from Edinburgh.”
In normal times, the theatre group would put on three productions a year.
However, due to Covid-19 restrictions the players have had to cancel several productions in recent times.
The cast list has now been announced with 18 credited actors.
The main cast stars are Keith Carlyon as Rab, Gill Sullivan as Jean, Josh Ure as Davy, David Mack as Ally and Charmaine Leitch as Yvonne.
The group intended to perform ‘Sunshine on Leith’ last year, but had to cancel due to restrictions on indoor gatherings.
Similarly their production of ‘The Steamie,’ which was meant to show earlier this month, was delayed until January 2023 due to the restrictions caused by the Omicron variant.
Speaking about how Covid-19 has affected the Livingston Players, Pamela added: “We’re hoping ‘Sunshine on Leith’ will be a big draw for people.
“With everyone getting so used to streaming entertainment from home, I’m worried that they might have forgotten about the theatre.”
She added: “Theatre can be an incredibly emotional and intimate thing, especially at Howden Park with a 300-person capacity.
“So I’m hoping that our new production will be a great way for people to get back into the theatre again and show them what they have been missing.”