Reality TV star Alex Reid took centre stage in Shropshire when he starred in a raunchy new adults-only comedy.

A pupil from Shrewsbury is following in the footsteps of some of the UK’s leading actors and actresses by winning a place at the National Youth Theatre.

Yes, I know he’s been out of style for a long while, but it’s hard not to like David Essex. The 64-year-old has lost his locks, but not his looks and his trademark twinkle in the eye still fluttered the hearts of many a ’70s teenybopper at the Grand.

The fate of the crew and passengers on board the doomed cruise liner Titanic has been brought to life in an impressive and moving musical by Shrewsbury’s Amateur Operatic Society.

Keith Harrison reviews The Diary of Anne Frank at Wolverhampton’s Grand Theatre – a visually stunning re-telling of a tragic story.

Once the mighty Disney empire realised its back catalogue of films could be translated into stage musicals there was no stopping them, with Lion King, Little Mermaid, Mary Poppins and Beauty and the Beast being very successful examples.

Producers of The King and I are looking for young people aged 5-14, to play the king of Siam’s children in a new production at Birmingham Hippodrome.

Family favourites The Chuckle Brothers put on a pair of swashbuckling shows in Shrewsbury.

A village pantomime near Shrewsbury finally had its fairytale ending after getting involved in a transatlantic battle to perform a Disney song.

Working in casting and television and seeing endless shows with amateur kids and teenagers, my expectations of Stage 2 Performing Arts Academy’s ‘The Album’ were limited . . . But, boy oh boy, how wrong could I have been?

The curtain has gone up on comedy Sister Act at Wolverhampton’s Grand Theatre – and is already proving a huge hit.

Shropshire’s two major have pantomimes have proved to be runaway successes – with theatre bosses hailing one as a recordbreaker.