Treading the boards: Join an amateur theatre group

BLOC: 'a heck of a good time'

It has been a hectic few months for BLOC, the Brussels Light Opera Company, after the "lockdown" forced the group to move their popular pre-Christmas musical to February. Now, with their summer performance just weeks away, thoughts are already turning to A Christmas Carol this winter, with auditions starting next month.

Born in 1975 as the Brussels Gilbert and Sullivan Society, with a predominantly British membership, the group became BLOC in the early 1990s and has now attracted about 200 members, 25 nationalities and ages ranging from 10 to 75.

"The name change meant we could do a variety of musicals, operettas, operas and give ourselves a larger scope," says chair Diana Morton-Hooper. "We are essentially an amateur theatre group. We try only to pay our musicians, our rehearsal pianist, our musical director and some of the orchestra should we have one."

The group puts on two main productions each year - a more adult-focused and "challenging" performance in May and a large family musical in late-November with a cast of about 70 people. This year's spring show, BLOC-busters, features segments from three musicals: Cabaret, Into The Woods and Urinetown - "a Gotham City-type place where there's been a drought for 20 years and nobody can pee for free".

"This year has been a very heavy year," says Morton-Hooper. "We had to postpone the Wizard of Oz until February, and then we went straight into BLOC-busters. We're giving ourselves a complete break of two weeks once this show is over."

Auditions for A Christmas Carol will begin on 14 June and new members are always welcome: "It's never difficult to come to rehearsals. We are lovely group of people who have a heck of a good time together. It's hard to keep people away."

BLOC-busters at De Bosuil Cultural Centre, Overijse, 26-29 May

The Ghost Sheep: 'you have to risk on stage'

The American Theatre Company, founded in 1969, has won numerous awards at the annual Festival of European Anglophone Theatrical Societies competition and has a solid reputation for quality theatre. It also has a resident improv troupe called The Ghost Sheep (pictured) - with members from Ireland, the UK, Malta, the Netherlands, Romania, the US and Greece.

Theatrical improvisation takes a quick mind as the troupe members must create comedy gold on stage, on the spot, without a script, armed only with audience suggestions as to situations, relationships and opening lines.

"When you get up on stage and improvise you have to trust that something will be made out of nothing," says troupe member Kelly Agathos. "That takes a lot of courage but it also takes a lot of teamwork.

"If someone on stage has endowed you and made you an astronaut when you thought you were a deep sea diver, now you're an astronaut and you have to deal with it. You have to take the story where it's going to go and you have to be ready to leave the idea you had in your head behind."

She adds: "If you don't try things out you'll never get a good scene, you have to risk on stage you have to do guesswork you have to go for it and put yourself out there and not be afraid to make yourself really vulnerable."

How does being a good improv player translate into real life? "It helps individuals in their lives by being good listeners, accepting being a team player, being more creative and I really recommend it if you are not very confident, if you want to be more self-aware, if you want to be a better listener. I think you can gain so much from it on so many levels."

Want to try it out? As well as doing performances, the Ghost Sheep do workshops with guest teachers that are open to anyone.

Other useful links
English Comedy Club
British & American Theatrical Society (Antwerp)
Irish Theatre Group
Brussels Shakespeare Society
European Theatre Club