A Portishead theatre production company has received an award during one of its most challenging years.
Prestige Productions, based at Kestrel Court in Harbour Road, has been named most renowned entertainment and production company 2020, in the Southern Enterprise Awards.
The company has become one of the fastest growing production companies in the UK, with musical shows including, Seven Drunken Nights – The Story of the Dubliners and Some Guys Have All The Luck – The Rod Stewart Story, playing more than 600 theatre dates in 2018 and around 700 in the UK and overseas last year.
The longest-running musical variety show in the UK, That’ll Be The Day, with its creator and most of the cast being based in North Somerset and which usually plays more than 200 theatre dates a year, joined the production company at the beginning of 2020.
Ross Mills, a director at Prestige, said: “We are extremely pleased to have received this award during such a difficult year.
“The impact of coronavirus has wreaked unprecedented upheaval for many businesses, none more than the arts, especially live entertainment. It’s great that our efforts and success have been recognised despite all the setbacks of this year.”
Prestige was due to launch the That’ll Be The Day 35-year anniversary tour this summer, but that had to be put on the back burner when the pandemic hit.
Instead, the show’s creator Trevor Payne, also a director at Prestige, and Ross got together to come up with a plan to deliver entertainment while also supporting theatres across the country.
Ross added: “During the restrictions, adhering to Government guidelines and with bubbles and social distancing in place, along with a great deal of cooperation from all involved, we filmed a new That’ll Be The Day Christmas show at the Gordon Craig Theatre in Stevenage.
“In addition to making a DVD available for sale, the recorded show is being streamed on 10 nights in December to audiences in their own homes.
“A percentage of the fees from the streaming will go to support those theatres marketing it, which includes the Bristol Hippodrome and Weston Playhouse.”
The online streams will include a live interactive Q&A and a unique chance to catch up online with Trevor and some of the cast.
That’ll Be The Day’s 2021 tour is scheduled to go ahead from January, with a performance at Weston Playhouse in April and at the Bristol Hippodrome in June.
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