Donation gives Newport drama group real stage presence

28th April 2011

A local drama group for adults with learning disabilities received the silver screen treatment thanks to a donation from Newport-based Gwent Hospitals Contributory Fund (GHCF).

Health cash plan provider, GHCF, pledged more than £500 to drama group Tight and Toupees towards visual aids to help the company bring a stage production to life. The production entitled, Only Fakes and Forgeries, which was staged at the city’s Riverfront Theatre, explored the issue of art forgery with a humorous twist.

The production included live action, recorded scenes and special effects to tell the story. The donation from GHCF covered the professionally filmed scenes, which were integral to the plot, and included end credits that were projected onto a big screen. In addition, the funding also went towards the production of a DVD of the performance which was made available to family and friends of the drama group.

Tight and Toupees is made up of around 20 adults with mixed abilities. The group meets once a week at Barnabas Art House in Pill where they regularly hold workshops to create new productions and original scripts. The group is run by directors Paul Humphreys and Lynda Lewis.

Lynda Lewis, co-director at Tights and Toupees said: “Our group has been running for a long time. Recently, funding has become less certain and, therefore, the group is more reliant on generous donations from the local business community.

The money given by GHCF helped give the performance a more professional presentation and allowed us to use film in addition to live action to tell the story in a creative and imaginative way. The shows always tend to sell-out and the actors really enjoy performing. We are very grateful for GHCF’s support”.

GHCF offers an affordable alternative to private healthcare. Members can claim cash back for routine medical procedures including dental and optical treatments.

Chief Executive of GHCF Andy Wilkins said: “Tight and Toupees does fantastic work and the performances are always very enjoyable. As a well-established company within Newport and the south east Wales area, we are happy to use our charitable fund to support local projects such as this.”