Starring role

AMANDA Watmough's journey has certainly been an interesting one. She learned to dance soon after she learned to toddle, flew off to live in Singapore at the age of five and arrived back on these shores to take her place as a leg-warmer-wearing member of a revolutionary Accrington musical group.

Now working as the area's regional NODA (National Operatic and Dramatic Association) rep, Amanda's face has become well-known to drama enthusiasts throughout East Lancashire.

Her job is to work as a point of contact for amateur dramatic groups across the area, doling out sound advice relating to promotion and publicity, weapons on stage, child actors and all sorts of other conundrums.

Yet how many of the people she deals with every day would be aware of Amanda's previous dramatic involvements, as a feather-boa wearing vamp or a "totally loopy" character called Sharon?

The answer is probably quite a few.

The IMP Musical Group, of which Amanda was a member, was well known in East Lancashire during the '80s for its youthful, relaxed productions and innovative use of theatre space.

The performances Amanda gave in Godspell and Hell Can Be Heaven, together with those turned in by the rest of the cast, certainly helped the productions to go down in East Lancashire's am-dram annals.

She said: "We were a very young group of people, aged between 18 and 30 and, of course, those were the Fame years.

"We were all dressed in purple leg warmers and turquoise lycra!

"We had great fun doing it. A few of us were pregnant at the time.

"I can remember choreographing Hell Can Be Heaven with my daughter in a baby sling."

Although she no longer acts herself, Amanda, 41, has retained something of IMP's inventive outlook in her work, believing passionately in encouraging young talent into the theatre.

She said: "If you haven't got young people coming through, you can't progress long term. Some societies don't encourage young people as much as they should. They're too wrapped up in how it should be done and they're not prepared to bend the rules.

"Young people have to express themselves and they need encouragement and support.

"If they don't get that, the whole scene will go stale."

Encouragement and support are things Amanda has always received from her family -- something for which she is hugely grateful.

Her grandfather was renowned local band leader Bob Watmough, her father was a musician and her mother was also involved in the amateur dramatics scene.

And although the family moved from Accrington to Singapore when Amanda was just five, followed by a nine year stint in Germany, where her father worked with the British forces, a talent for performing was just somehow in Amanda's blood.

Upon her return to East Lancashire she straightaway became involved with the Accrington Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society and continued to act even as her career as a nursery nurse and special needs carer became steadily more demanding.

"It's a good, relaxing hobby to have," she said, explaining the appeal of amateur dramatics.

"A lot of people find it addictive. Not only that, but people like to perform.

"The North West's always been known for the quality of its entertainment.

"Whether this is just a throwback, I don't know.

"The world of professional acting is so vast. You've got to be something very special to stand out from the crowd.

"Amateur dramatics allows people to have that buzz you get from performing, even though they're not professionals."

Amanda has been involved with NODA since May 2001 when she took over editorship of the NODA North West News.

Last year she was voted in as regional representative for East Lancashire, which means she has to maintain an incredibly busy routine.

She said: "The season builds up from the beginning of September until the end of June. I get invited by the societies to go and watch their performances.

"The number I see can run into four or five a week. As the regional representative, that's what you are there for. If societies can't find a leading man or lady, perhaps I can suggest someone who's worth approaching."

Amanda's job is about to get even busier. Next Friday sees the prestigious NODA awards evening for the area take place at Mytton Fold Hotel, Langho, with several local societies in the running for the prestigious prizes.

Then, she has Christmas to contend with, complete with what she describes as "oodles of pantos, which are wonderful, but things get a bit manic!"

But no matter how busy she gets, Amanda is always cheered by the quality of the performances she sees.

"I think we have a very high standard in this area," she said. "You sometimes get church societies who only have access to limited resources and the quality of the production they put on can be superb.

"Maybe they're in quite small venues, but that makes things more intimate. You get wrapped up in their arms."

To find out more about NODA or order a copy of the magazine, call 07939 175405.