The show will go on for an amateur dramatics group after a Barrhead pub stepped in to provide a venue for rehearsals.

Members of the New Barrhead Players (NBP) were struggling to find a suitable place to gather after being given the boot from the church where they entertained sold-out audiences with their debut play in October.

After approaching Peter Mulholland, owner of the Arthurlie Inns, he offered the use of a downstairs bar for free on Wednesday nights.

Peter told the Barrhead News: “I can see the importance in trying to help each other out.

“We have offered to put on tea and coffee to make them nice and comfortable.

“If people don’t step in and help, whether it be for free or not, all these traditions are going to disappear.”

The NBP launched at the end of 2021, after experienced performer Alma Mearns, who was in the original Barrhead Players, became increasingly frustrated by a lack of entertainment opportunities in the town.

In October, the group performed Gypsy: A Comedy Play in Two Acts, which ran for three nights at Bourock Parish Church.

Barrhead News: Gypsy: A Comedy Play in Two Acts ran for three nights in OctoberGypsy: A Comedy Play in Two Acts ran for three nights in October

Prior to the show, however, a row broke out between the church and the group over the play’s content.

A compromise was reached to allow the performances to go ahead but, after the curtain went down, the group was told it could no longer use the church, which had been their base since February 2022.

Barrhead News: Alma Mearns outside Bourock Parish ChurchAlma Mearns outside Bourock Parish Church

Alma said: “We used the Foundry for a couple of weeks but it was proving a bit too expensive.

“Then the Arthurlie Inns heard of our plight and offered to give us downstairs every Wednesday night for nothing. We are chuffed.”

The group is now looking forward to a new show, The Ill of the Dead: A Theatre Comedy in Two Acts, which will run at Clarkston Halls in June.

New members will be made welcome, with the group particularly keen to recruit male actors. There are also roles in stage production, prompting and costumes.

“You don’t need to have experience,” said Alma. “When I joined way back in the day, I had never acted before.

“It doesn’t matter if you have never tried it, don’t know if you are good at it or just want to be in company. It’s good fun and all worth it on the night of the show.”

Anyone aged over 18 who would like to get involved should call Alma on 0788 778 0220.