Stepping Out at the Civic

Hard at work in rehearsal (from left to right) are: Rebecca Noble, Anita Wilshaw, Jude Gray, Karen Powell, Fiona Broadhead, Heather Brooke and Elaine Demaine.

The company’s production of Stepping Out, running from next Tuesday to Friday, features real-life dance teacher Rebecca Noble as tap dance mistress Mavis Turner.

The Rep’s Sheila Halse said: “The feelgood play, dating from 1984, follows the lives of seven women and one man attempting to tap their troubles away, overcome their inhibitions and left feet at a weekly dancing class.

“The dance routines act as a backdrop against which the relationships of the characters are played out.

“At first, the students treat the classes as social occasions and show little co-ordination.

“However, they later are invited to dance in a charity performance and start to develop a level of skill and cohesiveness.”

Three of the cast — Elaine Demaine, Naomi Deville and Jude Gray — are familiar with the show, having appeared in it for the Rep before.

And Sheila said Rebecca, an experienced professional dancer, had admitted she could relate to the production’s experiences after setting up her own performing arts hub, Triple Threat Theatre Academy, when she returned to Rotherham from London in 2009.

Tickets for the show are priced at £9 (£7 for concessions) and are available on 01709 823621 or at https://rotherhamtheatres.ticketsolve.com/.