Yet again the children of Oakworth have excelled in their acting talents. Snow White with a completely new twist was how it was described to me prior to its presentation and, sure enough they were right.

A beautiful Snow White, very ably portrayed by Emily Moses was a joy to behold and equally, the wicked stepmother was another excellent portrayal by Alice Chapman, easily inducing the audience to boo every time she appeared on stage.

Supported by a cast of over 30 other village children they led the audience through a story loosely based around the original story with many twists and turns and some entertaining variations.

Leading the audience through an intricate tale were Dame Cerise Wisteria (Natasha Wrathall) in her gloriously flamboyant costumes and Harlequin, the court jester played by Peter Kounnas to the great delight of the entire audience, including the ones brave enough to sit at the front and hence get a trifle wet during one of the routines and again on the last night at the end of the show when there was some improvisation with the dame and a large number of the audience getting wetter than they anticipated.

It would be impossible to name each child individually but they and their friends and families know who they are and I applaud each and every one of them for their dedication to rehearsals, enabling them to put on yet another great production.

The village is very lucky to have so many talented people besides the children who produce, choreograph, and create the scenery and the costumes; not forgetting the parents who give their time to help with make up and dressing the actors.

Almost every performance was a complete sell out, the villagers coming out in force to enjoy this fantastic show and people coming from many other towns (even one coming from Guernsey).

And so it goes on! After a few weeks rest it all starts again. Auditions will be held later in March for the 28th pantomime next year – Aladdin – and then the new show will be written, dances devised, scenery painted, lighting effects planned and songs arranged ready for rehearsals to begin later in the year.

There is an incredible wealth of talent in this village, so if you want to add yours to the growing list get in touch with someone from the Methodist Church and offer you services. Backroom staff of any age are welcome but there is an age limit of 18years on the actors.

Jackie McGinnis