Melodrama raises R185k for local welfare

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SEDGEFIELD NEWS - The cast and crew of Sedgefield Melodrama 2023 have not been resting on their laurels since the conclusion of their six-night show extravaganza at the end of September.

Instead they've been tallying up the votes on their best performances, and crunching numbers to determine just how much they raised for charity, which has officially amounted to more than R185k.

The sizeable cast and crew of 37 individuals spent two-and-a-half months preparing for this year's production and attended 20 rehearsals of two to three hours each.

There were also additional dance practices to ensure that their moves were tip-top. Across the six show nights, Melodrama hosted approximately 1 047 audience members. The hard work definitely paid off and they put on an incredible production.

From the weird and whacky to, well, just plain weird and whacky really, the show was a hit and had audiences laughing all the way.

PHOTO GALLERY: Sedgefield Melodrama 2023

Dale Engelbrecht gave a memorable performance of 'Liza with a Z'.

After every show, an auction was held where the audience could bid on their favourite songs for an encore, which raised an astounding R102 505. "I am so super proud of this year's cast and crew for their tireless efforts and hard work," said producer Margie van Rensburg. "Some even came to perform when they were really ill. 2023 is one for the record books and we thank our Sedgefield and greater Knysna Community for their support."

On Sunday 29 October, the cast and crew re-united for the Melodrama awards ceremony and got to watch a video of this year's production together for the first time.

There are two categories in which winners are selected. Firstly the audience choose the top three songs at the auction on show nights, and secondly, individual awards are voted for by the cast and crew members.

This year's top three songs as chosen and bid for by the audience are: third place Boerepompie R9 336; second place Belly Dance R10 610; first place Let's Do It R11 680.

In spite of some higher than usual expenditure, there was still an incredible R185 750 to donate back to Melodrama's chosen local charities.

"The production team for 2023 decided to pay it back to their sponsors Pick n Pay and Engen by purchasing vouchers for some of the beneficiaries to use at these establishments," Margie explained.

Margie van Rensburg, Carla Lidstone, Maureen Denny and Janice Gibson.