What We Do
Carmarthen & District Youth Opera is an award-winning musical theatre company for young performers in West Wales. Our cast typically range in age from 5 to 21. We hold auditions usually in September of each year, with weekly rehearsals thereafter leading up to our annual production which is held during February half term at the Lyric Theatre in Carmarthen.
Our cast are supported by a creative team and dedicated team of volunteers. Our goal is to provide high quality musical theatre performances to our audiences whilst giving our young people the opportunity and platform to develop their talents. Many of our cast have gone on to successful careers in stage and television.
Carmarthen & District Youth Opera Management Board
President – Wyn Davies
Wyn became President in 2019 having been involved with the Company since 1985. He is a retired County Council Finance Director.
Chairman – Mike Rogers
Mike has been Chairman since 2005 and a Board Member since 1992. He is a retired Senior Local Government Officer.
Secretary – Helen Hughes
Helen has been a member since 1980. She is our Secretary and Vice Chairman and a long-standing Board Member. She was previously a cast member of the company and official choreographer. A retired HSBC Bank Official, Helen now works for a local property management Company.
Board Member – Sandra Rowlands
Sandra has been a Board Member since 2005. She is also a former Wardrobe Mistress to the Company. She is currently employed as a HR and Finance Assistant with the Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service.
Board Member – Hazel Thorogood
Hazel was reappointed to the Board in 2019. She is a long-standing accompanist to the Company. Hazel previously worked for Nat West Bank but now works as Finance Officer for a major local company.
Board Member – Ruth Lewis
Ruth was appointed to the Board in 2019 having been involved with the Company as parent volunteer for several years. She formerly worked for Barclays Bank as a Corporate Manager and now works as Practice Manager/Director for a local Solicitors Practice.
Directors of Carmarthen & District Youth Opera
Elizabeth Evans MBE – 1979 – 2004
Adrian Rowlands – 2005 – 2013
Steve Elias – 2014 -2017
Daniel Rhys Williams – 2018 to date
Musical Directors of Carmarthen & District Youth Opera
Paul Thomas – 1979 – 1980
Ian Thomas – 1981
David Lloyd Davies – 1982 – 1983
Enfys David-Jones/Williams – 1984 – 1987
John Morgan – 1988 – 1996
Christopher Broome – 1997
Edward John – 1998 – 2000
Hywel Benjamin – 2001 – 2008
Gareth Kirby – 2009 – 2015, 2017-2019
Bridget Radford – 2016, 2020 to date
Volunteering
It takes a lot of time and effort to stage our award-winning shows. We have always been fortunate to be able to call on the talents of our loyal and committed army of volunteers to make this happen, many of whom have been with the Company since its inception.
There are lots of different areas where we are always looking for help :
Wardrobe
Hair and Make Up
Stage Crew
Front of House
Publicity
Fundraising
If you would like to join our team of dedicated volunteers, then please get in touch.