Onstage Wānaka will premiere Blood Brothers in August.
The group came together after some local performers felt there was no real community for performers and theatre enthusiasts in the Upper Clutha area.
The group’s secretary and one of the founders, Andrea Beryl, said a committee of eight locals, most of whom were performers, came together after years of having to travel to centres like Dunedin just to be part of a production.
The group had already received a lot of support from the local community and had also recently been awarded a grant from Central Lakes Trust.
"Everyone’s really enthusiastic because there hasn’t been anything like this in Wānaka for quite some time," she said.
Ms Beryl could not yet disclose the amount the group had been allocated but said the generous grant would go towards its first production, Blood Brothers.
The musical was written by Willy Russell, and followed the story of twins separated at birth and raised in different environments.
Auditions for the musical closed a few weeks ago and the final cast has been finalised.
"We can’t wait to get everybody involved," Beryl said.
"We’ve got a workshop coming up next weekend where we all meet each other . . . it’s going to be great to get everybody involved on stage."
She was pleased with the cast and said that although some had not performed a full musical before, almost all had some performance or singing experience.
"They’ve been travelling to different parts of Central to perform, but to have it right here on their doorstep is amazing."
The enthusiasm expressed by the local community was positive and the group had already started looking for dates for its 2026 and 2027 shows.
The main goal at the moment was working on making sure Blood Brothers came together nicely to ensure the group could continue and become an integral part of Wānaka’s art scene.
The group was also looking for backstage helpers to assist with makeup, wardrobe and set.
"We’re just trying to get the show up and running and trying to have it as successful as possible. Obviously, it’s the first one, so we’re trying to make it a good one," Ms Beryl said.
