A DEDICATED servant of musical theatre has been presented with a special national award, while another stalwart is set to recieve his own honour.

Several local productions have also been nominated for top honours in this year's National Operatic & Dramatic Association awards.

Helen Stidolph of Monmouth Music Theatre was presented with a NODA Commendation Medal for dedicated service to musical theatre by Dee McIlroy, the NODA Wales & Ireland Regional Representative.

MMT president Diane Sillman and chairman Stephen Brettle were also at the presentation.

Helen has been an accomplished accompanist and repetiteur for 25 years and is continuing to dedicate her life to many musical theatre companies in Wales, including MMT, who are gearing up for their next production, My Fair Lady, at Monmouth Savoy from April 17-20.

Andrew Griffiths, founder and director of Monmouth's Mayhem Youth Theatre and fresh from their hit production of Oliver, has also been notified that he will be receiving a Noda Award for Outstanding Contribution to Youth Theatre later this year.

Meanwhile, MMT have garnered eight nominations for the 2024 NODA Awards, including Outstanding Production for Evita, directed by Paul Ellis, and The Pirates of Penzance, directed by Adrian Bevan.

Nominated for Outstanding Musical Performance are Cait Davies as Eva Perón (Evita), Corey Jones as Che (Evita), and Holly Thody as Mabel (Pirates of Penzance).

And nominated for Outstanding Supporting Performance are Adrian Bevan as Agustín Magaldi (Evita), Ellie Stevens as Perón’s Mistress (Evita), and Meriwether Maturin as The Pirate King (Pirates of Penzance).

Meanwhile, Monmouth Comprehensive's Performing and Expressive Arts department is also celebrating nominations for both its 2023 senior and junior musical productions, Sister Act and Matilda.

As well as outstanding youth productions, Freya Piper and Tom North have also both been nominated for Outstanding Youth Performance.

Mayhem, who compete in a different region to the school, have been nominated for Best Youth Production for Bugsy Malone, Best Youth Production for Everybody's Talking About Jamie, and Best Youth Performance for Jehan Rodgers, a Year 8 pupil at Monmouth Comprehensive, who played Dandy Dan in Bugsy Malone.

The awards ceremony is set to be held in Llandudno in July.