Mexborough and Swinton Times January 13, 1939

Pretty Thurnscoe Operetta

Children of St Helen’s Church Excel

Two pictures taken at the centre Helen’s Church children’s concert on Monday

Memories of delightful pantomime production presented over a period of 20 years by Sunday School children of Saint Helen’s Church, Thurnscoe, were revived this week-end when the children gave a musical play.’The Truculent Dame’.

Given on Monday and Saturday nights, the play was as successful as any in the past and large audiences on both nights thoroughly enjoyed the presentation.

Mrs. Mark Williams, superintendent of the infants’ department, was once more responsible for the production and maintained the high standard she first set many years ago. Fifty children took part, the play being a charming operetta, embellished by the introduction of a number of modern songs and dances. A feature was the excellence of the scenery for which Mr. C. Lodge was responsible, and of the costumes, which were made by the mothers of the children,

The ‘hit’ of the show was the dancing of the Polka by eight small children, wearing early Victorian costumes, and  tap dancing and toe dancing sequences proved very popular. Marjorie Myers gave a delightful performance as the orphan, Nora, and Joan Scamadin made an awe-inspiring Dame Grumpus. Peggy Sixsmith was Queen Mab, Mabel Turner Vigilanta, the Fairy Recorder, Ruby Husband the fairy of the Glen, and Betty Smith, Ariel.

Attendants were Doreen Husband, Hazel Davis, Mabel Watson and Jean Wadsworth, and village girls were Joan Wilson, Ruby Husband, Joan Wheeler Kitty Ashton, Patsy Firth, Maisie Robson, Doris Hird, Marjorie Swallow and Betty Pearce. John Gethin, Colin Ward, Edward Myers and Leslie Ward were country yokels and Beryl Hinchcliffe and Margaret Else were rosebuds.

There were in in addition full choruses of milkmaids and the dances were:—tap: Kitty Ashton, Joan Wheeler and Peggy Sixsmith; toe Kitty Ashton, Gracie Thomas, Ruby Husband and Peggy Sixsmith.

Mr Husband and Miss Glasswell were in charge of the dresses. Messrs E. Dolby, G. Tattersall and Randerson were stage managers, and Messrs. Calladine, G. Bilton and B. Morris were in charge of the lighting. Music was supplied by Mrs. W. Whinfrey (pianist), Mr, C. Harwood (violin) and Mr. G. Hoddle (cello). At the close of the performance the Rector. the Rev. D. E, Hughes, congratulated all concerned on the success of the production, saying that he had enjoyed it ‘most thoroughly’.

The proceeds are to be devoted to the re-decoration of St. Margaret’s, the children’s own church in which they have a service every Sunday evening. It occupies a room in `a building opposite St. Helen’s and it was converted five years ago under the direction of Mrs. Hughes. Originally the building was one of a row of old cottages; it was entirely renovated internally and an altar was erected by Mrs. Hughes herself. The scheme has been thoroughly justified by an average attendance of 45 children at the evening service.