A POPULAR amateur theatre company in Cirencester has picked up a prestigious award for one of its musicals, performed at the Barn Theatre last April.

COS productions, formerly Cirencester Operatic Society, scooped the award for Visual Excellence from the National Operatic and Dramatic Association, for its ambitious production, Titanic the Musical.

The Association is the supporting body for amateur theatre throughout the UK. The award was presented at a gala dinner in March.

Visual Excellence encompasses elements of the play that bring the production to life, including costumes, set and lights.

Presenting the award, judges said: “As the Overture began, two orange lights shone through the haze giving the outline of a hull with carefully positioned rivets. We were in no doubt that this was a ship. At the opening of the show, images of the iconic staircase and clock were portrayed.

"Beautiful period costumes with wigs and hats differentiated the class structure of passengers and the uniforms worn by the officers showed obvious differences according to rank. We were most definitely sailing on the Titanic’s maiden voyage”.

The award was collected by the director of the production, Barry Austin. He said: “It is always nice to be recognised by your peers for the work you do.

"We work hard to bring high production values to our shows and Titanic, one of my favourite musicals, was no exception.

"All the team worked hard to bring the Titanic to life. Our costume department headed by Denise Cleal, those that worked on the set and in particular Andrew Richardson and Mark Amos and those from The Barn Theatre technical department.”

COS has been part of Cirencester for nearly 70 years and has gone from strength to strength with their productions. The Barn Theatre has been its home for the majority of that time, and with the recent investment in the theatre along with the support offered by the team there, it continues to put on high quality amateur theatre in new surroundings.

COS Productions next musical is Stephen Sondheim’s “Merrily We Roll Along” which is being performed on May 8-11. Tickets can be purchased at cosproductions.org or from the Barn Theatre Box Office.