Company Section - Annual Concert
In March 1928 the 1st Bearsden Company of The Boys’ Brigade held its first ever Concert. It ran for two nights – Friday 30th and Saturday 31st March – in the Bearsden Village Hall, with a capacity audience of 500 enjoying each performance. The performances were given entirely by the Boys, every Boy taking part, and legend has it that the success of the first night was so great that the queue for the second night was four deep for at least 200 yards!
In February/March 2008, for three nights only, we will present our 75th Annual Concert, a tradition that has run since that first Concert in 1928 (with only a temporary suspension during the years of World War Two).
There are several reasons for holding our annual concert – not least for fund-raising purposes – however, probably the greatest benefit to the Boys is the self-confidence that they can gain from getting up on a stage in front of an audience and performing. This character-building experience is a fun way to help attain some of the self-confidence that is required in almost every walk of life as these young men progress to university/college and into jobs. Accordingly, every Boy who wants a speaking, singing or dancing part gets it, regardless of ability, and we work with them to help them perform as well as they can.
Unlike professional productions, or even productions by “real” amateur dramatics groups, our Concert is devised, written, produced, rehearsed and staged over a period of just two months, which is complete madness! However, other BB commitments, school exams and constraints on everyone’s time and availability mean that this is really the only way of making this annual concert possible! Of course, a deadline always helps…and panic looms large as “Concert Week” approaches!
The programme of the 1st Annual Concert, in 1928, included “Choruses Old & New, Original Song Scenas and the One-Act Absurdity The Crimson Cocoanut”. Our 2008 Concert - "This is the Moment" - is loosely based on the life of George M Cohan, the famous american entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer, director, and producer who was known as "the man who owned Broadway" in the early 20th Century; and, to this day, he is also considered as the "father of musical comedy". Our 2008 production goes on tour, in September 2008, to Alloa! We will perform for one night only in the Alloa Town Hall, to a capacity audience of 500, including BB dignitaries from all over the UK and the Republic of Ireland as they gather in Tulliallan for the Annual BB UK Council. We are honoured to be invited to stage our Concert for that event and we are looking forward to the challenge of transporting our Concert to a new venue!
The programme of our Concert, whatever the year, is sustained entirely by the Boys of the Company Section, with every Boy taking part in some way.
The BB Concert has been a tradition in Bearsden for 80 years – if you’ve never seen one, please come along soon and we’ll help you understand why!
© Copyright 2008 1st Bearsden BB Company Charity No.SC036872