Performance Groups

WHO ARE WE?

Stage Musicals Society, or SMS, is the university's largest musical theatre society whose aim is to stage two full length musicals each year and to have as much fun as possible in doing so.

RECENT SHOWS:

• Oklahoma
• Anything Goes
• Grease
• Footloose
• West Side Story (**** review From Leeds Student Paper)
• Crazy For You (***** review from LS: http://www.leedsstudent.org/2011-03-24/ls2/arts/theatre-review-crazy-for-you!)
• Cabaret (***** review from LS)

Past SMS shows include 'Hair', 'Bugsy Malone', 'Sweet Charity', 'Me & My Girl', 'Fame' and 'The Wiz', along with many more. Formerly the 'Light Opera Society', the society is over 70 years old.

HOW DO WE WORK?

The society is totally student run resulting in the direction, production, lighting, staging, choreographing, vocal coaching and performing of each musical being down to whoever is brave enough to step forward put forward a production team. Each show is produced to a very high standard and in recent years our cast selection has become very competitive. Nevertheless, it remains the SMS ethos that we work hard and play harder. Each show is self-funded from the sales of previous performances as well as sponsored by various organisations willing to help out the performance. Back staging, similarly, is conducted totally through LUU Backstage Society without whose continual help and support we would not be able to survive as a society. For more information, contact us or find Backstage Soc on the LUU website.

A usual rehearsal week will involve a Friday evening singing rehearsal followed by drinks at The Terrace and clubbing at Fruity, and then the dance rehearsal on Sunday afternoons, where the lads get to show off their finely honed dance moves. Things heat up as show week approaches, and culminate in a week we doubt you'll forget, where too much alcohol ultimately leads to a fair few stories in the changing rooms for a few days after (or a few shows if you're as notorious as a few of our members).

WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU?

The main attraction of SMS, aside from the fabulous shows we stage, is the social side. Many people have had some of their best times at University within the show, usually during the carnage that makes up the show-week, and that's why many of the cast come back year after year. We also go on an annual SMS holiday, such as this summer where we hired a 23 person chateau in France! finally, we are the ONLY SOCIETY in Leeds University which boasts attendance at every single Fruity (Friday club night @ the Union) throughout the year. We take our partying seriously. We are a very solid group of friends and love to take it to the next level - remember to bring your fancy dress. 

We also have fantastic social and collaberative links with other societies. We share members with A'Capella society and Music Theatre society, perform with Dance Exposé, guest-perform at competitions with Dance societies, actively support and perform for Leeds RAG, and often recruit our band from LUUMS. Being in SMS, we all agree, is the best social experience you could get from university as a performer.


HOW TO JOIN

- ONLINE. Message us on Facebook, find us on LUU's website and find out how to get involved.
- COME FIND US. We run a Fresher's stall every year in September as well as running meet-and-greets.
- AUDITION. Our next auditions will take place in SEPTEMBER 2012.
- GIVE IT A GO. We run a Give It A Go programme twice a year! it is a fun chance to sing, act and dance for a few hours (no audition neccessary), followed by Fruity with the cast.

Expect £5 for yearly membership, £10 for show fees (twice yearly) and £20 for your own society hoodie. For this, you get reduced entry to club nights, free dance tuition, free acting and vocal classes, a chance to perform at the top level of amateur Musical Theatre, and friends for life.

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So if you're a spontaneous and fun loving sort of person that isn't afraid of the odd bit of dancing and singing then make sure you join us and keep watch over your messages to check on audition dates for up and coming shows. Similarly if you're a fresher about to start university make sure you come and see us at the fresher's fair in SEPTEMBER to find out some more. Remember, we are a society that prides ourselves on working hard and playing hard, putting on great musicals each semester and ensuring that drunkeness and general raucous behaviour is integral to keeping the society alive...we hope to see many new faces soon. 

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Semester 2 show - OUR HOUSE

Following a  5* performance of Gershwin's 'Crazy for You' in March, and a sell-out 5* performance of Cabaret in November/December, SMS have decided to abandon glamour and jazz-hands for 'Our House', a fantastic 2003 British musical based on the music of Madness. Combining contemporary, urban dance with lashings of dirty comedy, 'Our House' is the story of Joe Casey who, on the night of his sixteenth birthday, takes Sarah, the girl of his dreams, out on their first date. In an effort to impress her with bravado, he is caught breaking into a building by police. Joe’s life splits into two: the Good Joe, who stays to face his fate, and Bad Joe, who flees. 

SHOW DATES: Tuesday 13th March - Saturday 17th March 2012, 7.30pm @ The Riley Smith Hall. 

Directed by Felicity Elder

Musical Director, James Pegg

Choreography by Sadie Chetwyn and Amy-Kate Newsome

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Any questions/ queries about anything to do with SMS then you can email us at luusms@hotmail.com and you can find us on facebook, just search Luu Sms.

The SMS Committee 2011/12

MEMBERSHIPS

£5 Standard Membership. Available to anyone. Standard membership grants:

• Eligibility to perform in SMS events and shows, audition dependant.
• Free entry to our 'Give It A Go' event on 14th October.
• Eligibility to audition for 'Night At The Musicals', our performance in October, regardless of whether you are a member of the current cast.
• Eligibility to attend SMS socials and special events (cast only)
• Access to order SMS apparel and promotional hoodies
• Discount entry to selected clubs, including weekly discount guestlist access to Fruity Fridays (cast only)
• Friends for life!

*DISCLAIMER* You MUST successfully audition for a show in order to perform in it and be regarded as 'cast'.

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£10 Show Membership. You should only purchase this membership if you successfully audition for an SMS show. 

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