Luke playing Shrek


Honey playing Miss Honey in Maltilda


Oli playing the lead role in Annie


“I thought, ‘I can’t do this.’ I just


needed someone to say, ‘Yes, you can.’” She began working for the


franchise in Dartmouth. Ten came Matilda. Te children had worked hard for


the production, but circumstances changed and they were no longer going to be included in the planned production. Amanda was devastated on their behalf. “I just felt so emotional. Tey’d


worked so hard for this.” So she bought the licence herself


and staged Matilda at Te Flavel Arts Centre. By the time the curtain went up, the group had grown to 25 children. Te first show sold out so quickly


that what had initially been two performances became four. DTC had found its audience. But Amanda was also discovering


something else: children who might not necessarily be noticed by a con- ventional theatre school. “We’re not your average theatre


group,” she says. “While some traditional theatre schools can feel very performance-focused, DTC’s priority is giving every child the opportunity to take part, develop and grow in confidence. Talent is always welcomed but it is never an entry requirement.” Perhaps no child embodies that


more powerfully than Lexi, who Amanda describes as the ‘ambassa- dor’ of the company. Lexi has additional needs and did


not attend school because of severe anxiety.


Lexi At 14, Lexi has also recently found


a job at a local fudge shop - some- thing Amanda talks about with enormous pride. “She’s just amazing. Lexi is


basically what we’re about - allowing children to explore themselves and grow.” Ten there is Luke, another


brilliant example of how DTC helps children grow in confidence, take on bigger roles and flourish over time. Amanda said: “He first played


Bruce Bogtrotter in Matilda - the boy who eats the cake which is


“Since Lexi joined us, she has


found a real sense of purpose. Her confidence has grown enormously, she has made new friends and she now plays leading roles. She’s phenomenal.”


“She’s just amazing. Lexi is basically what we’re about - allowing children to explore themselves and grow.”


such a comic role. Since then, he has grown so much. Last year he played Shrek for us, and he’s just a lovely lad. Tere are so many stories like Luke’s. I could talk about these children all day, because every one of them is amazing.” Another example is Ava, who


joined DTC as a very quiet child. Amanda initially wondered whether she would stay. Now she is Dorothy in Te Wizard


of Oz. “You would never have expected it,”


Amanda says. “Everyone’s like, ‘How has this happened?’” Te answer, Amanda believes, is in


finding their place. “Tey know they belong. Tey’re


happy, they’re comfortable and, most importantly, they realise they can do it.”


DTC does not rigidly separate its


main group by age. Children from six to 16 rehearse together, with the older members naturally guiding and looking out for the younger ones. “It can be chaos,” Amanda admits.


“But they support each other. Te older ones encourage the little ones, and they all build each other up.” Tat sense of family extends to the


adults. DTC is largely volunteer-run, with


Amanda’s husband Damian acting as musical director and helping with music and technical production. “As our musical director, he leads the musical and vocal work and plays a huge role in the sound and technical production of every show,” said Amanda. “It genuinely wouldn’t be what it is without him.”


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100