A volunteer-led theatre company in Oldham has announced its first 'comeback' summer production will hit the stage next month.

North Stars Youth Theatre, a theatre company based in Shaw, is made up of children and young people aged four to 18.

The team have been busy working hard to prepare for their summer production over the past six months and are now in the final weeks of rehearsing and prepping before they perform in July.

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Taking place at the Bonjangles Theatre in Middleton from Friday to Sunday (July 14-16), the youngsters will be bringing their production of Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical Junior to life.

The news comes as the company was forced to close down during the pandemic - and struggled to reopen.

But with the support of the Royal British Legion in Shaw, North Stars Youth Theatre was able to open its doors again as of September 2021

Now, the company works to support the local community by offering people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds the opportunity to take part in the performing arts, including the chance to perform in professional theatres, as well as being SEND friendly.

Their upcoming performance marks their first full show since reopening - and the team said they could not be more excited.

Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical Junior is adapted from the multi-award winning musical, inspired by the beloved book, and features a script by Dennis Kelly and music and lyrics by Tim Minchin.

The play tells the story of an extraordinary little girl who, armed with a vivid imagination and sharp mind, dares to take a stand and change her own destiny.

She stands up to the formidable headteacher of her school, Miss Trunchbull, and Matilda and her fellow Crunchem Hall pupils revolt to save the day.

The theatre company is run entirely by a group of volunteers.

Producer, director and choreographer of the show, Darcey McCoy, said: "I am so proud of all our children and young people and all our production team who are pulling out all the stops to create a fantastic production of this iconic musical.

"We recently performed three songs from the show at a fundraiser for Springhill Hospice and the cast did a brilliant job."

Tickets are currently on sale via the Ticketsource website here: www.ticketsource.co.uk/northstarstheatrecompany

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