Drama group in play accolade

A Shrewsbury drama group is celebrating an award for the best play performed in Shropshire in 2008.

The Abbey Foregate Drama Group has been putting on production for more than 60 years.

It decided to join the National Operatic and Dramatic Association only last year.

• For more pictures of past shows see below

Now its production of A Chorus of Disapproval, performed in November, has won the award for Best Drama for 2008 in West Midlands District Two, which represents Shropshire.

The programme for the same play was nominated as runner-up.

The awards were presented at the NODA annual general meeting on April 5 and were received by Andrew Sandilands, who directed the production, and Rob Hutchings, who played one of the principal roles.

Kay Ikin, the NODA district official for Shropshire, said the drama was very good.

She said: "We mark each society as we go round. They were the best and got the highest mark.

"It was a very good play and very well done - the standard, the characterisation and the whole production and the direction. It was an all round good production."

The group's next production is All My Sons by Arthur Miller. The performances are on April 23, 24, 25 at 7.30pm at St Nicholas Hall, Abbey Foregate.

American Dana James will play Ann Deever. She started out studying drama at the University of Minnesota, Duluth and came to the UK to continue her studies at Birmingham University. She then married and stayed in Shropshire.

Director Helen Bryant said: "As a drama group we are lucky to have Dana in this production.

"She gives a true reflection of small town life in mid west America."