ON the midsummer evening of Tuesday, July 31, with the school holidays in full swing, the houselights at Worcester’s Swan Theatre will dim, the packed audience will settle in its seats, the band will strike up, the curtain will rise and the 30th anniversary production of WODYS will erupt on stage.

In case you’ve been living on Mars for the past three decades – or are certainly not a regular reader of this newspaper – the acronym stands for Worcester Operatic and Dramatic Society Youth Section, a young persons’ theatre group which has grown from humble beginnings to become one of the best in the land.

Last year, its staging of Half a Sixpence was heralded as the best youth production in district 10 of the National Operatic and Dramatic Association (NODA) West Midlands region.

This followed the decision by NODA president Geraldine Branton, after seeing last summer’s musical, to hand WODYS the 2011 President’s Award for “outstanding performance in a youth society production”.

Over the years, several members have gone on from its ranks to professional stage careers and even if that hasn’t been an ultimate aim, the group has long provided an outlet for youthful talent, energy and confidence, as well as, dare I say it, some parental involvement and organisational ability too.

Keeping youngsters and their parents off the street at the same time certainly has its merit.

Friendships made during productions have lasted forever and as Jess Page, who was a WODYS member from 1989-96, said: “It was a big part of my childhood and I still have very close friends I made during that time.”

Louise Bryan, who was with the group at the same time, said: “Being a member of WODYS increased my confidence and gave me a huge love of the theatre that I still have today.”

Sarah Pearman, who is now a professional actress and singer and recently appeared in Tom Stoppard’s Rock ‘n’ Roll in the West End, said: “I loved WODYS and look back on it with such happy times. But most importantly, friends I made then remain my best friends.” And no organisation can receive better recommendation than that.

It all began back in 1982, when the parent group Worcester Operatic and Dramatic Society, which can trace its roots back to the Victorian music hall days of 1892, decided to form a youth section. Partly as a gesture to mark its centenary, but also to hopefully provide a steady stream of talent for its own productions.

The word went out among the eight to 18-year-olds and 30 turned up for the introductory session. An indicator of the group’s success is that today membership stands at 71 with a waiting list of 54.

Numbers have to be restricted because it would be impracticable to have 100-plus lively young wannabes zooming around a church hall.

Another barometer is that WODYS’ first show You Can’t Stop the Panto, written by senior group stalwart Sonia Armstrong, then cost only £200 to stage in 1983 in the rehearsal rooms at St Mary’s Hall in Northfield Street. Today, the production budget hits £23,000 and often involves elaborate sets and revolving stages.

Chairman David Humphries, who co-founded WODYS with member Mary Beechey, summarised the group quite simply: “Our aim is to provide a springboard for youngsters to perform on stage.”

To that end, since 1982, up to 2,300 children have been members, 6,000 to 8,000 hours of rehearsals have been staged at the hall and at least 7,000 costumes made by Christina Humphries and her team of WODYS’ mothers and WODS helpers.

Famous names have backed the cause too. Among many, actor Roy Hudd gave a signed photograph of the cast of Coronation Street, which helped raise more than £700 for charity during the society’s production of Annie Get Your Gun.

David Essex wished the cast good luck during its production of Godspell and Nicholas Parsons was the newsreader in WODYS’ production of Return To The Forbidden Planet.

Patricia Routledge got involved when WODYS produced Hot Mikado and raised money for St Richard’s Hospice, of which she is a patron. For Back to the 80s, the Real Thing and Cool and the Gang joined forces to do some publicity, while Tommy Steele sent a message of good luck for Half a Sixpence.

But it’s not all about fame and glory. Since 1992, WODYS has raised about £19,000 for local charities, mainly those for children, including Thornton House Special School, the Midlands Support Group for the National Meningitis Trust, Acorns Children’s Hospice and Riding for the Disabled. There is also a thriving cabaret section, which visits residential homes, nursing homes and WIs, giving more than 120 performances over the years and bringing warmth and entertainment to the people.

Finally, as a really nice touch, WODYS almost doubled the number of children it caters for when it opened an academy affectionately known as WODAC.

This is intended primarily for youngsters who don’t get into the main group at the annual auditions. Its members receive tuition in singing, dancing and drama, culminating in a production for parents, after which the youngsters have the opportunity to try for full membership of WODYS.

This summer’s musical is the 1930s classic Me and My Girl. So let’s hope, as one of the lead characters sings, “The sun has got his hat on” for the 30th birthday show. And I’m sure it will have.