Halloween season is here but there will be fancy dress of a different kind this month as well, with the sparkle, shimmer and shine of a Gala Ball.
The Portlaoise Musical Society Silver Gala Ball will take place in the Midlands Park Hotel on Friday, October 25.
It is part of the Society’s 25th Anniversary celebrations which saw their first ever production of ‘Oklahoma!’ commemorated recently at Fossey Mountain Ranch
The main event will be in November, when the Society present ‘Guys and Dolls, A Musical Fable’, in what is being described as “their most spectacular show yet.”
Before that, however, the Silver Ball will take centre stage, with the event launched this week at the Midlands Park Hotel.
The launch was attended by some of the original and longest standing members of the society, together with some of the current members.
Past and present members, production teams, front of house and backstage crews have been invited to come together and attend the event, which is set to be one of the most illustrious, glamorous and fun nights out in Portlaoise this year.
The Society say the Black-tie event will “commemorate and celebrate the last unforgettable 25 years,” in a night “filled with glitz, glamour and lots of entertainment and surprises.”
DJ Steegan will entertain guests on the night, along with local group Trad Hits, a new band that blends pop, rock and funk together with Irish Traditional and Folk Music.
Trad Hits have previously performed at events such as Forest Fest, Portlaoise Trad Fest and Old Fort Fest.
Portlaoise Musical Society (established as Laois Musical Society) came together in 1999 when a small group of people including Timmy and Josie Keane, Catherine Scully and Joe O’Brien met up to devise a plan for the county’s first musical society.
The group first took to the stage with the show Oklahoma! under the helm of its inaugural committee including Chairperson Timmy Keane, Vice Chairperson Joan McEvoy, Secretary Joe O’Brien, Assistant Secretary Carmel McSweeney, Treasurer Ken McPherson, PRO Seán Ó’Domhnaill and members Liam Ahern, Josephine Keane, Yvonne Murphy and Catherine Scully.
Tickets for the Ball are priced €75 each or tables of 10 can be purchased at €750. To purchase a ticket please email pmsturns25@gmail.com.
The Society captivated the local community and went on to present 23 more productions, claiming numerous awards over the years, including multiple AIMS (All Ireland Musical Awards) Awards.
In 2019, Portlaoise Musical Society won Best Overall Show with ‘Titanic – The Musical’, and Best Runner-up, with ‘Ragtime-The Musical’ in 2020.
Their latest successes include runner-up awards in the 2023 AIMS Awards for ‘Best House Management’, ‘Best Actor in a Supporting Role’ and ‘Best Technical’.
Portlaoise Musical Society say they are “really excited” to bring Guys and Dolls to the Dunamaise Arts Centre from Saturday, November 16 to Tuesday, 19.
Guys And Dolls is a beloved Broadway shows which takes audiences from the heart of Times Square to the cafes of Havana, and even into the sewers of New York City.
Set in Damon Runyon’s mythical New York City, the show is an oddball romantic comedy that centres around gambler, Nathan Detroit, his girlfriend, nightclub performer Adelaide, fellow gambler, Sky Masterson, and straight-laced missionary Sarah Brown.
Tickets are now on sale from dunamaise.ie. For further information PortlaoiseMusicalCociety.ie.
