The Encore Story
Encore started life as a small Cabaret group, the brainchild of Annette (Netta) Sands.
In the late 1980’s she put together a group of singers and entertainers to perform cabaret shows in support of various charitable causes.
For over a decade Encore performed, literally here, there and everywhere, in golf clubs, schools, old people’s homes, even in boxing clubs and at charity events in various local venues. All the profits from Encore’s shows went to charity – either by way of a donation or through staging shows for specific causes.
After 2000 Encore took a break, its members were busy either with other shows or pursuing careers and raising families. But in 2008 a group of the original members reunited to put on a surprise ‘for one night only’ show for Netta at her 80th birthday party. Despite all its members wanting to get Encore back on the road again, it didn’t happen and sadly the next time Encore performed was as a tribute to Netta a who died in 2010.
The memorial show rekindled the Encore dream but by now the members, most of whom went back to the original show in 1989, had come to the conclusion that perhaps they were getting a bit old for cabaret! So Encore was reinvented and by early 2013 Encore Cabaret had evolved into a vocal group, Encore Voices, to be joined a year later by Encore Junior Voices and Encore Junior Dance.
There was never really a plan to develop beyond this but, in January 2014 a few of the original Encore Cabaret group got together over a glass or two of wine and decided it was time to put on a ‘proper musical’. That proper musical was Seussical which burst on to the stage in October 2014 with a fresh new company of talented performers. It was met with full houses, standing ovations, NODA awards and fantastic reviews.
And so it all began but in Encore nothing stands still! In 2015 Encore Junior Voices and Dance evolved to become Encore Junior Theatre, a standalone award winning youth theatre in its own right.
We are unashamedly ambitious in everything we do and incredibly proud of our history and what we have become. We think Netta would be proud of us too !