Culcheth Village Club had a proper dose of stage glamour as The Three Towns gathered for their annual awards evening, fresh from their production of The Yeomen of the Guard at St Joseph's Hall in Leigh.
And credit where it is due, this was not just a polite round of clapping over a few lukewarm sausage rolls. The group marked some astonishing long-service milestones with the National Operatic and Dramatic Association, better known as NODA. Allen Christey-Casson was recognised for a remarkable 60 years of service, which is the sort of commitment most village committees can only dream of, usually while arguing about chairs.
Steve Brennan, Susan Bradley, and Ken and Gill Rees were honoured for 50 years each, while Elsie Murphy and Catherine Kay marked 45 years. Susan Shaw and Elsa McGhee received recognition for 30 years, Fran Davies for 25 years, and Paul Dainton for 15 years. That is not a society, that is practically a cultural dynasty with sheet music.
The evening also gave The Three Towns a chance to bask, quite rightly, in a recent run of awards. NODA named the group Best Concert for their November 2025 performances, while Phil Boardman picked up Best Musical Director. Pamela-Heywood Connor and John Matthias, who played Rosalinda and Gabriel Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus, were recognised as Best Comedy Duo.
The Association of Community Theatre, or ACT, also got in on the applause, awarding the society Most Accomplished Vocal Ensemble in Musical Comedy. Victoria Goulden, who played Adele, was named Most Accomplished Supporting Actress in Musical Comedy, and Ken Rees, as Frank, won Most Accomplished Character Performance Actor in Musical Comedy. Not too shabby for a group that continues to prove community theatre can be polished, ambitious and, dare I say it, far more entertaining than another evening scrolling through parking complaints.
There is, of course, always a tiny bit of theatrical admin hiding behind the sparkle. The society is already rehearsing for its annual concerts on Friday, November 20, and Saturday, November 21, at St Joseph's Hall. The programme is set to include songs from Broadway, the West End and classical music, with a laid-back cabaret atmosphere. That sounds rather civilised, provided nobody tries to describe everything as a journey.
The Three Towns are known for their spring operettas and autumn concert series, with choir rehearsals taking place on Tuesday evenings at Tyldesley Methodist Church. Their past successes include The Gipsy Baron, La Belle Helene and Orpheus in the Underworld, so this is not a group dabbling timidly at the edges of the songbook.
Performances are accompanied by a professional orchestra, and the society places a strong emphasis on musical quality, harmony and chorus work. That is the bit I particularly admire, because a good chorus is not just people standing in rows looking hopeful. Done properly, it is discipline, timing, breath control and the quiet miracle of everyone not charging off in five different keys.
All in all, Culcheth played host to an evening that celebrated not just awards, but staying power. In a world where half the things we used to rely on have either closed, moved online or become mysteriously more expensive, seeing a local theatre society still thriving, rehearsing and turning out quality performances feels like something worth applauding.