VALHALLA STREET THEATRE

Formed in 2001 and based at Manor Court Hall, Newtownards, Valhalla Street Theatre have been putting on productions in various guises regarding the history and people of the Ards peninsula. Affiliated with Ards Tourism, and thanks to their invaluable assistance, Valhalla's walking tours, the groups bread and butter if you will, attract a large following and a backlog of ticket applications is testament to their success. The concept of Valhalla Street Theatre began with Paul Whitla, the founder of the group. He had an idea for a ghostly walking tour of Newtownards, his home town and so, armed with a rough script, his wife Eleanor and a few friends, Paul approached the tourist board with regard to putting the tour into action. Given the green light (and the use of a room in the town hall) the tour was a complete success. Paul realised there was a niche to fill and an audience to play to. The next year Valhalla formed, taking its name to keep the link between the Ards peninsula and the Vikings to the fore. A major step in putting the whole thing together was Valhalla's hiring of a drama coach. Enter Chris Curry, an actor in his own right and well versed in requirements of a theatrical performance. A recruitment drive of family, friends and friends of friends followed and quickly the pieces were in place. Valhalla was up and running. One of Valhalla's strengths is, certainly, the diversity of its membership. An amateur organisation, the group is populated with people from a wide variety of backgrounds; from security guards to museum guides, care workers to advertising executives, environmental scientists to shop mangers, all Valhalla's roster are with the group because they really enjoy being a part of what is going on, and the enthusiasm is evident. Everyone brings their own perspective to each undertaking and this really helps the groups development. With Chris's guidance many of the cast have discovered abilities within themselves that perhaps they were unaware of, e.g. designing costume, makeup, script writing and, of course, acting before an audience! The fact that the group usually perform from scripts that they themselves create is an extra help, allowing the entire membership to have an input into what is eventually shown to the public. Over time, Valhalla's scripts have become more intricate and expressive, including movement into the realm of plays for the stage. Several members have thrown themselves into the scriptwriting side of things with much glee, and their abilities improve with each final draft. Indeed, Valhalla recently performed a full length play on stage, the first that a group writer has penned. The amount of work that goes on off stage can't be stressed enough with many of the cast going that extra mile for Valhalla.