National award wins for Claremorris Musical Society
CLAREMORRIS Musical Society is celebrating after winning three awards at the Association of Irish Musical Societies (AIMS) awards in Killarney.
The group received three nominations for their production of Sister Act, staged in Claremorris Town Hall Theatre at the end of May, and was awarded in each category.
Joff Manning was awarded runner-up for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his role as ‘Sweaty Eddie’ in the sold-out production.
Joff is new to Claremorris Musical Society, having blown in from Belfast during the pandemic. He has an honours degree in drama from Royal Holloway, University of London. Since 2014, he has been a principal with Belfast Operatic Company as well as a drama teacher and director with the Belfast School of Performing Arts.
Vivienne Lee was delighted to win the Best Actress in a Supporting Role award for her portrayal of ‘Mother Superior’. Vivienne is a true stalwart of CMS having played principal roles with the society for many years. Sister Act marked her 13th production with CMS.
This was Vivienne’s third AIMS nomination having previously been nominated for Best Comedienne (as Lina Lamont - Singin’ in the Rain) and Best Actress (as Charity Valentine - Sweet Charity). She has also played several lead roles with Castlebar Musical & Dramatic Society and can regularly be seen performing with local drama groups.
The third winning nominee was Marilyn Bane who took home the award for Best Female Singer following on from her performance as ‘Deloris Van Cartier’.
Based in Athenry, Marilyn started her acting career in the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin. After spending some time doing drama on the Irish circuit, she moved towards singing and musical theatre.
Marilyn was runner-up in the RTÉ competition You’re a Star and is also a passionate song writer. She has made various TV appearances singing over the years.
Marilyn was also honoured to receive the AIMS award for Best Actress having been nominated for her role as Audrey in ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ with 9 Arch Claregalway Musical Society.
Almost 20 members of Claremorris Musical Society were in Killarney to celebrate the nominations and awards at a glittering ceremony attended by over 800 guests from musical societies all over Ireland and hundreds more tuning in online to the live stream.
It's now onwards and upwards for CMS as they brightly look ahead to their 16th annual production in early 2023. Watch this space!