Dartford locals set to ‘tear up this town’ with upcoming show

Members of a local theatre group are dusting off their dancing shoes as they prepare for their next musical production. Dartford Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society (DAODS) has been putting local performers through their paces as the group prepares to head to the Orchard Theatre in Dartford for its October production of Footloose.

Footloose is the story of Ren McCormack, a teenage boy from Chicago. He and his mother move to the small town of Bomont after his father abandons them. Ren finds himself at odds with most of the town, including the Reverend of Bomont. The Reverend has convinced the town to outlaw dancing, which Ren finds unbelievable. With the help of friends Ariel and Willard, Ren convinces the Reverend to let the teenagers dance, and in the process helps the town to heal from a tragedy that affected them all.

The show is probably already familiar to audiences from the 1984 Kevin Bacon film and offers a toe-tapping upbeat score featuring many hit songs including; Let’s Hear It For The Boy, Holding out for a Hero, Almost Paradise, Footloose and many more!

Footloose offers many opportunities for the society’s members, made up of local residents living in and around Dartford, including many high-energy dance numbers which they have been working on since rehearsals started in April. Anticipation for the show is high, as DAODS chairman, Paul Farlie, explained. “We have always tried to present a variety of different types of shows for our audience and this year has been no different. We performed a more traditional show in April with our production of Oliver! and Footloose gives us the chance to bring something a little more modern to the stage. That will continue once Footloose is over as we move straight into rehearsals for Shrek the musical which we will be staging in April 2020.”

This show will be the sixth from the local group in the last 12 months. The society is always looking for new talent, both on and off-stage, and anyone who is interested in getting involved should email daodscom@gmail.com.

Footloose is being performed from 23rd – 26th October at the Orchard Theatre, Dartford. Tickets: 01322 220000 or www.orchardtheatre.co.uk