About MMTG
The story of a great success
MMTG was formed in 1978 by Robert and Sue Wilson after the business manager of Worcester's Swan Theatre asked if they could devise a show to fill a vacant spot at Christmas. Robert had always wanted to do a "Minstrel Show' and so, with the help of a group of friends, MMTG was born.It was only ever intended to be a "one off' show, but the format proved so popular with performers and audiences, that here we are 30 years later having played to something in excess of 130,000 patrons. Many of you return year after year and no doubt that some of you have seen all our shows! During that time, many friendships have been made and we have become a "family" with an ever open door to new members. Many of you recognise us in the street and tell us how much you enjoy our shows. Thank you.
MMTG has it's own wardrobe, to which we add and adapt costumes each year, an ever growing music library and we maintain a large storage space with our many stage sets and props. As the curtain comes down on the Saturday night, we are back to a "blank piece of paper" for next years show. Ideas come from our members and occasionally "audience requests". We rehearse hard, but enjoy our "play" too.
So many memories -
In the early days, we discovered that a coach of senior citizens could not get to see the show due to heavy snow - so we decided to take the whole show to them!
Then, there was the Charity Show for Guide Dogs for the Blind when the dog on stage stood up as we played the opening bars of the National Anthem! (we had not rehearsed him).
Oh, the VE Show! We were only scheduled for one performance, but your demand for tickets was so overwhelming that we did three and those of us on stage will always remember looking out to your sea of flags as we all sang Land of Hope and Glory.
And of course, how can we forget our appearance at the Royal Albert Hall .
We now consist of over 120 members and each November, we perform a ???Musical Extravaganza??? at Malvern Theatre, set in the Victorian town nestling under the great hills of Worcestershire, and most years a 'specific charity show' in the spring.
Our Wardrobe team make most of our spectacular costumes, and the expertise of our members is expressed in innovative scenery and lighting design. Professional musicians and sound technicians ensure a memorable evening of varied music, singing, dancing and comedy sketches.
We have now been entertaining audiences for 30 years, and the theatre (which holds over 700), is an ideal venue for our performances. We are a registered charity, and the proceeds of our shows go to local and national causes.
In our first programme, Robert wrote that he "hoped MMTG would have three ambitions"
1. To Help Charities - our financial support to dozens of charities is now over £100000 and we established "The John Pritchard Award" in 1995 and have supported several young people aspiring to careers in theatre and entertainment.
2. To Keep Live Theatre Alive - when time permits (and even sometimes when it doesn't) we organise a second show for a chosen charity or take part in other shows. - Watch this space !
3. To Entertain - we believe we do.
With your help and encouragement, all those ambitions have been achieved - we now look forward to our next 30 years!
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