Historic five AIMS award nominations for Mayo musical society
CLAREMORRIS Musical Society is celebrating a historic achievement after receiving five nominations at the recent Association of Irish Musical Societies (AIMS) Awards for its acclaimed, sold-out production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
The nominations represent the highest number ever received by the society in one year as CMS looks ahead to its landmark 20th production in 2027.
The society received nominations in the Sullivan Category for Best Visual, recognising how impressive the set, costumes, props and special effects were, Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Mary Dempsey following her heart-warming portrayal of Mrs. Bucket, Best Comedienne for Nicole Scott for her hilarious portrayal of 'Mrs. Gloop', and two Outstanding Youth Performance nominations for Michael Farrell and Abbie Flatley in their roles of Mike Teavee and Violet Beauregarde respectively.
In a show that he described as ‘a wonderful production by Claremorris Musical Society’, AIMS adjudicator Pat McElwain praised the performances, describing Mary Dempsey’s portrayal as a highlight of the show for him, performed with utterly believeable sincerity. Nicole Scott was commended for her larger than life, hilarious portrayal, while Michael Farrell delivered what McElwain called 'an astonishingly good performance'. Abbie Flatley he said, delivered a fully committed portrayal and had a tremendous voice.
Chairperson Vivienne Lee said the society was 'absolutely thrilled and immensely proud' of the achievement. “To receive five nominations is a phenomenal achievement and reflects the incredible talent, dedication and hard work of everyone involved both on and off stage. These nominations belong to the entire CMS family,” she said.
Special thanks to the talented and creativity of the production team; director Donna Ruane, who also picked up a Best Director nomination with Castlebar Musical and Dramatic Society, musical director Deirdre Lee and choreographer Jay Molyneux along with the CMS committee and backstage teams whose efforts helped bring the production to life.
The black tie awards banquet will take place at INEC Killarney on August 13 and CMS look forward to sharing the huge success alongside fellow musical societies in the western region who between them amassed a whopping 24 nominations, including eight for Castlebar, five for Ballinasloe and three for Ballinrobe.
The west is truly awake and buzzing with the magic of the musicals!