In the UK we seem to be obsessed with talent shows or - more precisely - with seeing those who believe they have talent, crashing publicly and embarrassingly in front of a largely sympathetic audience, at least in the case of the X Factor. There’s something about watching the vulnerable, the self-deluded and the plain strange putting their all on the line to win their two minutes of fame before the judges condemn them to obscurity - or worse still, life on the GMTV sofa. Yet it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that these shows wouldn’t exist but for our insatiable desire to see the unedifying sight of an over-weight, cross-eyed man with a wooden leg and sob-story to match vainly attempting to transform something by Whitney Huston into a remake of the Pinky and Perky opening number. It’s similarly easy to forget that these same shows make a lot of money for their owners and broadcasters, particularly the magic 18 - 30 audience, for whom the broadcasters compete with indecent enthusiasm.
However dreadful the carefully selected acts we love to watch seem, the ability to perform well on stage is something that’s not acquired easily. The bottle-juggling gymnast who’s such a hit at well-lubricated family parties can easily appear less the epitome of dynamic stage presence and more the confused, inadequate and just plain lost product of an over indulgent family, once they step out onto the nightmare of public humiliation that is the TV talent competition.
Llandudno, of course, has a long and honourable history of talent shows; in fact, Carneades himself was once the winner of the Outspan-sponsored Alex Munro talent competition in Happy Valley at age 11. But although - sadly - Alex is no longer with us, and the once proud Happy Valley Theatre is now nothing but a rather desolate car park, in the centre of Mostyn Street on the front ‘lawn’ of Trinity Church a massive, double-sided notice board proclaims “Trinity Players Entertain” and their schedule of concerts. This stalwart band of performers have been playing to packed houses throughout the summer; in fact, in the past four weeks, they’ve had to shut the doors early and turn folk away from what has become widely recognised as the best amateur production in town.
It’s a commitment that isn’t to be taken lightly, however. They start rehearsing on Sunday afternoons in February, and continue until June, when their relentless schedule of performances, which involves a show every Wednesday night from June 1st until September 30th, commences. As their name suggests they’re not simply singers, but also actors, with a strong comedy element to their shows.
Some of you may now be wondering just why so much of today’s article is being devoted to this. It’s actually quite simple. All the amateur entertainment groups in Llandudno, bar the Llandudno Youth Theatre, suffer from the same problem: a lack of youngsters. Now, does this mean that youngsters here are not talented? Actually, no. There are many outstanding young singers, actors and dancers in Llandudno and Colwyn Bay, but often it’s not obvious to them how they break into groups like Trinity Players. Some, of course, feel the commitment to a show every Wednesday evening for four months is too much, but in fact it’s not quite as bad as it seems at first glance. What it entails is being on stage in front of an enthusiastic audience between eight o’clock and ten o’clock, one night a week, and earning invaluable experience, indispensable to anyone thinking of a career in entertainment or who simply enjoys performing in front of an audience.
And, best of all, you can do it in the knowledge that every show is helping charities throughout the area. So, if you know someone who might be interested in this opportunity, or who might simply want to be on stage, then tell them to drop a line to the MD, Trinity Players, c/o Trinity Church, Mostyn Street Llandudno, or telephone 545681 and ask for the Trinity Players’ secretary. And you never know - a star might yet be born...
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