Celebrations: Pres' Thurles wins Best Overall Show for Billy Elliot

Zoe Gleeson (centre) leading Presentation Thurles' Billy Elliot.

placeholder image — Zoe Gleeson (centre) leading Presentation Thurles' Billy Elliot.

Bord Gais Energy Student Theatre Award for Best Overall Show comes to Thurles for the second year in succession as Billy Elliot follows on from The Lion King.

Students in the Presentation Secondary School in Thurles are dancing in the classrooms today after it was announced that they have retained the Best Overall Show in the Bord Gais Energy Musical Theatre Student Awards for their fabulous production of Billy Elliot which ran before the mid term break in the Autumn 2016.

The magnificent show played to packed audiences throughout the run with all those who attended being mesmerized by the talent on show. And, their views were clearly endorsed by the judging panel when it came to making the all-important decisions as Pres' Thurles was announced as being top of the pile once again. And, to add to the excitement, Zoe Gleeson was announced as Best Performer in a Supporting Role - another very appropriate and worthy winner following sterling performances in the show.

'All out together' - a scene from Billy Elliot staged so brilliantly by Presentation Thurles.

The awards are fitting for all the students who participated to enthusiastically as well as for the Production Team led by Trisha McElgunn, Mairead Hackett and Patrick Conlon. And, coming off the back of the same award for last years Lion King, it makes Pres' Thurles the undisputed champions of musical theatre in the secondary school sphere.

It had been felt that The Lion King could not be topped, but the Pres' girls managed to do it again and the standing ovations which greeted their performances throughout the run were fully deserved and totally justified.

There is a great buzz in the school today and a wonderful sense of having achieved something very special - it takes a good school to win an award, but a great school to retain it.

he Bord Gáis Energy Student Theatre Awards recognise and rewards participation in the dramatic arts in schools across Ireland. Since its inception in 2013, over 1,000 schools have participated in the programme