Kildare's Music Societies fly lilywhite flag high at AIMs awards

Naas Musical Society were among the many societies nominated at the recent AIMS nominations which were recently streamed live.

Congratulations to Andrew Docherty and Bob O’Kelly who were nominated for Best Comedian and Best Stage Manager.

Society PRO Aishling Byrne said: "We are so proud of Andrew, Bob and the entire cast and crew of Naas Musical Society and we cannot wait to go down to Killarney to fly the lilywhite flag high.”

The AIMS critic was invited along to the Moat Theatre where she gave the society great feedback overall.

Commenting on Andrew she mentioned the following; “From the beginning, your acting, comedic timing, and facial expressions won me over. Your egotistical sexist bullying character was played so wonderfully well.

“It was your eyes that created this role, and your facial expressions were what made it successful. You were just simply horrible. rude. and sexist. Which makes you a great actor indeed, which is what you were. There are so many scenes where your character shines in complete contrast to your employees. You were just a big bumbling mess of rudeness and condescending bad manners, a bully, a horrible person all around who got their comeuppance in the end. You played a blinder in this role, Mr Docherty—a stand-out element in this show of success and talent.”

Bob O’Kelly was nominated for Best Stage Management. Bob has been a member of the society since the start and has played a very important role over the years.

Not only as stage manager, but building the sets year in, year out. The AIMS critic also had great things to say about Bob

“The Stage Manager was Bob O’Kelly. The sets were very clever. I liked the use of the stage’s height and width, given its small area backstage. The projection screen used for Dolly Parton’s message worked exceptionally well,” they said.

“The steps on either side of the stage worked well, enabling great height, depth, and multifunctional uses. Underneath these stairs allowed ample use of space again for different scenes. The stage for Franklin D’Hart’s office, and the bookshelf or mini library appeared very cleverly underneath the arch of the stairs.

“This multifunctional piece serves various purposes throughout the show, allowing smooth transitions between the scenes. This approach by the team showed how versatile the set was without unnecessary interruptions. Great work.”

Naas Musical Society would also like to congratulate neighbouring Kildare Societies with their well deserved nominations. They were: Clane Musical and Dramatic Society (Addams Family), Kilcock Musical and Dramatic Society (Rock of Ages), Leixlip Musical & Variety Group (The Producers) and Maynooth University Musical Society (Cats).

The AIMS awards will be held in the Gleneagle Hotel, (INEC) June 15.