HAVING been propositioned by an Aussie soap star in front of them, made my very nervous first foray onto stage in front of them and danced the night away to New York New York with them more times than I care to remember, I love all of my amateur thespians the length and breadth of Hampshire.

And this week, one of the Daily Echo’s lovely Curtain Call companies has managed their five minutes of fame.

The Guardian’s highly regarded theatre critic and blogger Lyn Gardner was so impressed by the latest brochure produced by Winchester’s Chesil Theatre, she was utterly shocked by the season – which includes Shakespeare, Tennessee Williams and Somerset Maugham – being presented by an amateur society.

I am not.

For the last seven or eight years I’ve been one of the presenters at the Daily Echo’s glamorous Curtain Call Awards each January, witnessing the talent and enthusiasm behind the wealth of companies we are spoilt by locally and the friendly rivalry they all enjoy.

Don’t get me wrong, some amateur theatre is mind-numbingly awful.

But the same can be said for more professional shows than you’d imagine.

I watch a great deal of theatre and, increasingly, the line between amateur and professional is becoming blurred.

As Bodyguard, Cats, Priscilla and Ghost producer David Ian told me during a recent chat, there’s less money out there, but more talent. I would say this is one of the reasons amateur dramatics look increasingly polished.

Plus people who give up their time to get involved – whether onstage or backstage – are doing it all for the love.

And that thought in itself is worth treasuring.

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