Since it's inception in 1999, over 15,000 have enjoyed the memorable productions staged by Portlaoise Musical Society, whose annual musical has become an integral part of the Dunamaise calendar.

Rehearsing since September the cast of over 40 and crew of ten have seen a big increase in membership this year. After the success of their last production 'Sweet Charity', the group picked a vocally challenging and lesser known production to set the bar higher for themselves and are sure to live up to the high expections of their loyal fans.

The eleventh production staged by the society, 'The Pirates of Penzance' sees performances by Damien Halpin as the Pirate King, Chris Britton as Frederick, Sarah Vaughan as Mabel, Joan White as Ruth, Alex Cathcart as Samuel, Frank Jordan as Sergent, Tony Finnegan as Major General, Sarah Foyle as Isobel, Katherine Foyle as Kate and Jayne Louise Kelly as Edith. Tony Finnegan came late into the group and they are thrilled to have him on board, with his production company winning the UK National Gilbert and Sullivan Competition for the third year in a row.

The production is directed by award winning John Donnelly who directed 'Rent' in the Olympia earlier this year. Musical direction for the show is by Sarah Lynch and choreography is completed by Grace McGrath, who have all brought their talent and expertise to the group for previous productions.

A lot of people are involved in the society all year round and of course a large crew are involved in set construction and painting for the show. They include Anthony Dunphy, Keith Mason, Mick McEvoy, Darren Timmons, John Coss, Brian Lee, Darly Mason, Rosie Norton and Jayne Louise Kelly.

Portlaoise Musical Society held fundraisers throughout the year including a golf classic organised by Michael O' Reilly and Barry O' Callaghan and a music table quiz organised by Seamus Kennedy. Both were a huge success, and the society are very grateful to all who helped and supported the events. Without the financial support of sponsors and patrons, the society would not be able to produce shows of this high calibre.

Chairperson PJ Mulhall is very grateful to everyone on the committee for their hard work over the past year, particularly previous chairperson Joan McEvoy, who he said has set a very high standard to follow as chairperson.
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The Pirates of Penzance' runs at 8pm every evening from Saturday November 14 until Saturday November 21. Tickets are priced at €15 (€10 for OAP's and students) for the first four days of the production and at €18 for the last four nights. For more information visit www.dunamaise.ie or contact the box office at 057 86 63355. As regular supporters know, the productions are always a sell out success so book tickets as early as possible to avoid disappointment.