Talented Musicians Reunite to Celebrate The Door’s Anniversary
On Saturday 30th April, five talented young adults will perform together for the first time in years as part of The Door’s 25th Anniversary.
Between 2002 and 2014 The Door ran the Undiscovered Youth Talent Competition, giving local youngsters the opportunity to enter and perform. Long before the days of Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh and Sharon Osborne, Undiscovered Youth was designed to encourage and develop talent for those who might not normally get the chance to have a go. Over the years several acts were nurtured in The Door’s own ‘Broom Cupboard Studio’ (with its distinctive sounds of the Merrywalks bus depot in the background) often finding their voice to express the challenges and emotions of a difficult adolescence as much as a desire to hit the stage.
Chief Executive Barrie Voyce came up with the idea of a Reunion Gig “to see some of the ‘what happened next” stories,’ he says.
The evening will be hosted by Ventriloquist Kieran Powell, who won the competition in 2011. “I couldn’t resist the opportunity to perform for The Door once more,” he says. “I am now working all across the world, and have a jet-setting life that people dream of having. And it is all thanks to The Door for believing in me and giving me a chance to perform on a big stage for the first time ever at The Undiscovered Youth Talent Competition all those years ago!”
Joining Kieran will be singers Ellie Higgs, who has just released her debut EP under the stage name Elyse, Harry Jones, winner in 2012, who went on to feature in BBC1s The Voice, Megan Strachan , and Andy Bro’ Yerbury who learnt to sing at The Door. “Thanks to The Door as a whole for helping me turn a homeless life in to a hopeful life, because of this I’m here to give back through a talent they helped me discover, BIG Love” he gushed.
The Reunion Gig at the Subscription Rooms, Stroud, is being sponsored by the Keith Jefferies Foundation, continuing their association with The Door and supporting disengaged young people through a passion in music. Tickets are on sale at £10 and £8 for concessions from the Sub Rooms box office. All proceeds will go to support the work of The Door.