Youth theatre's open day this weekend to help find future stars

Wentworth and Thorpe Hesley Youth Theatre have received permission to adapt the award winning comedy Daisy Pulls it Off by Denise Deegan into a musical.

The show has been cast but there are still spots open for girls aged nine to 13 and free trial sessions are being held from noon to 3pm this Sunday and next Sunday at Trinity Community Centre in Thorpe Hesley.

Youth theatre director Ian McGrath explained the musical it had been “very much a lockdown project”.

He added: “We performed the play back in 2012 and I always thought it would be great as a musical.  

“Myself and Ian Faraday, our musical director, composed and wrote the lyrics to a couple of songs and sent them off to the publishers hoping they might give us permission to write more songs.  

“We were thrilled when the playwright was happy for us to continue and we have written a total of 14 original songs.

“We have been given permission to do two performances next March in Holy Trinity Church in Thorpe Hesley.”  

Daisy Pulls it Off is set in Grangewood School, a boarding school for girls.  

Title character Daisy Meredith is the first scholarship girl to be accepted into the school, but is faced with a lot of resentment from other girls who feel she lowers the tone of the school.  

When befriended by another pupil, Trixie, she discovers the school may have to close as it faces financial ruin unless the mythical “Beaumont Treasure” can be found.  

They set off to discover the treasure whilst facing attempts by their enemies to get Daisy kicked out of the school.