NODA’s award for Frome actor’s 50 years’ service

NODA (the National Operatic and Dramatic Association) has awarded Andrew Carpenter of Frome for 50 years’ service to amateur theatre societies. 

On hearing of his award, Andrew said, “It will be the proudest moment of my 50 years on the amateur musical theatre stage. When my father, Noel, received his award it remained the most precious possession for the rest of his life and that will undoubtedly be the same for myself. 

“During Covid-19 ,we have all recognized the importance of musical theatre in our lives and I can’t wait to get back on stage.”

Andrew joined the Frome Amateur Operatic Society (now Frome Musical Theatre Company) in 1971 to commence rehearsals for a Songs from the Shows concert to take place the following year. In 1973 he was call-boy for Hello Dolly before taking part in his first adult musical in May 1974 when he played 2nd Gangster in Kiss Me, Kate. 

“He went on to be part of his home town society for 43 years, playing a multitude of parts including The King in The King and I, Mac Sennett in Mack & Mabel, The Pirate King in The Broadway version of The Pirates of Penzance, Sky Masterson & Nathan Detroit in Guys & Dolls, Fred Graham in Kiss Me, Kate, Will Parker & Jud Fry in Oklahoma, Perchik & Lazar Wolf in Fiddler on the Roof, Cogsworth in Beauty and the Beast, Max Detwiler in The Sound of Music, Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz, Alfred P Doolittle & Freddy Eynsford-Hill in My Fair Lady, Bill Sikes in Oliver (twice), Lord Evelyn Oakley in Anything Goes, Cornelius Hackl & Horace Vandergelder in Hello Dolly, Gerald Bolingbroke in Me and My Girl, Harold in The Full Monty and Judge Turpin in Sweeney Todd, as well as taking several roles in their annual pantomime productions normally as the villain. 

“Whilst with the Frome group he also directed 12 productions, winning two Best Director awards in the annual Somerset Fellowship of Drama Awards, and was a NODA representative for three years. During his 43 years, he was a committee member for most of the time first as social chairman, then business manager for 20 years and chairman for the final eight years of his tenure. 

He will probably be best remembered however as the person who introduced Spellbound, their youth section, in 1989 as this has gone on to be one of the most respected and valuable parts of FMTC.

During the 1980s, Andrew appeared in five shows with the Centre Light Operatic Club, Shepton Mallet, playing The Mikado in The Mikado, Baron Zeta in The Merry Widow, Perchik in Fiddler on the Roof, Cornelius Hackl in Hello Dolly & 2nd Gangster in Kiss Me Kate, as well as appearing in a handful of productions at the Warminster Athenaeum over the years.

In 2015 Andrew joined the board of the Merlin Theatre, chairman for two, and was a member of the Merlin Theatre Productions most notably playing Max Biallystock in The Producers, for which he received a ‘Best Actor in a Musical’ nomination at the Rose Bowl Awards and Captain Hook/ Mr Darling in Peter Pan.

In 2015 Andrew also joined Bridgwater Operatic Society and Pinstripe Productions, also based in Bridgwater, to enable him to appear in the brand new £8.5m McMillan Theatre where in the last six years he has played Cecil B De Mille in Sunset Boulevard, Juan Peron in Evita, Walter De Courcy in Chess, General Waverly in White Christmas, Monsignor O’Hara in Sister Act and most notably Alfred P Doolittle in My Fair Lady in 2018 for which he won a Rose Bowl Award for Best Supporting Actor in a musical.

In 2017 Andrew was asked to understudy the role of Henry Higgins in the BLOC Productions production of My Fair Lady at the Bristol Hippodrome. He joined the company the following year to play Lord Scrumptious in the award winning Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. In 2019 Andrew felt very privileged to be invited to take on the role of chair of BLOC Productions, a position he still holds. 

Andrew looks back on his time with FMTC with great fondness and says it gave him the perfect grounding to fulfil the job he now holds. He comments that being responsible for the £150,000 BLOC production at the Bristol Hippodrome is like FMTC on steroids! 

He added, The awarding of the prestigious NODA 50 Year Gold Medal will be the highlight of what has been a most enjoyable and fulfilling time spent in musical theatre.”