Kilkenny Musical Society to stage 50th Anniversary Gala Concert - past members wanted!

In the year 1973, Ireland was a changing landscape, socially, politically and economically.

Our country had joined the EEC, Fianna Fail’s 16 year reign in government came to an end, and the first edition of the Sunday World newspaper went on sale.

Panel structures in Kilkenny demolished but there are future plans to replicate them

But here in the Marble City another odyssey was beginning. The formation of what is now one of the foremost amateur musical theatre societies in the country – Kilkenny Musical Society.

Founded in 1973 by Kilkenny theatre legend Donal O’Brien and the late and great Kitty Drohan, Kilkenny Musical Society is this year, celebrating its 50th anniversary.

This group of local singers, actors, musicians and dancers performed their first production of “The Gypsy Baron” in the spring of 1974 in the Friary Hall, Kilkenny and this was to become the home of the society until 1992 when their production of “The Merry Widow” became the last show to be staged in the Friary Hall.

The opening of the Watergate Theatre in early 1993 was a milestone in the development of Kilkenny Musical Society and their production of “The Pirates of Penzance” in May of that year marked their debut in a professional theatre and introduced the society to the demands of staging a musical production in a professional technical arena.

Every year since then has seen the society staging a musical to the highest of professional standards, accruing an impressive list of accolades along the way.

Most noticeably their 2014 production of Michael Collins, a musical drama which scooped first place at the national awards in Killarney.

Despite the devastating impact of Covid-19 on the arts and performers across all genres, Kilkenny Musical Society returned as vibrant and passionate as ever with their 2022 production of The Adams Family which played to packed houses and rapturous applause.

Ahead of the eagerly awaited announcement of their 2024 production, Kilkenny Musical Society will be staging a nostalgic trip down musical theatre memory lane with a glittering array of past, present and perhaps future stars of the society’s impressive cohort.

The Watergate Theatre will be the venue for what promises to be a fantastic concert remembering all of the shows that have endeared Kilkenny musical society to its audiences.

But the society needs you, its past performers!

So if you have been part of a Kilkenny Musical Society production in the past and would like another opportunity to take to the stage, an information night for all past and present members of the society who would like to take part either on or off stage will be held in the Ormonde Hotel on August 14 at 8pm.

This is a wonderful opportunity for all those who have played and continue to play a part in the extraordinary tapestry of Kilkenny Musical’s Society’s illustrious history and exciting future, to come together to celebrate 50th years of music, laughter and friendship.

Further information can be found on the society’s social media platforms.