He was just the latest in a decades-long line of Tamworth thespians who kicked off their careers in acting at the Tamworth Dramatic Society.

"I was still in high school, and that's how I got into the show," he said.

"My home room teacher, Glen Dodd - he was also in the show - and he said look you should come and audition for this, and I did.

READ MORE:

"What it did was show me that you can put so much work into how you tell a story and the more work you put in, the better that story is.

"That's the thing that keeps me coming back, whether that's as a performer, or as a director, as a designer."

Nearly 30 years on, Mr Gillett is now the long-standing president of the society, which is celebrating its diamond jubilee this year.

In its 75^th year, the society is returning to its roots in grand-scale comedy with a huge cast.

Its newest show, Clue, is a tribute to the organisation's first ever, the 1947 production of The Importance of Being Earnest, Mr Gillett said.

"It's an ensemble cast, like the importance of being earnest, it's a comedy and it's a period piece," he said.

"When we looked at what are the things that the society was formed to do, the best way we can do that is a show that has a big set which the community needs to come together and build.

The society is holding a party to celebrate the occasion at 7pm on July 29 at the town hall's Passchendaele Room - the building the society held its first show.

Former performers are welcome to attend but must RSVP.

Mr Gillett said live music had a special quality that is almost unique in an increasingly mediated world, where almost everything we see and hear is prepared hours or days in advance.

Want more local news? Subscribe to the Leader to read it here first

The career he started as a 16-year-old, playing a university newspaper reporter in Alan Seymour's 1958 play about ANZAC Day, is still going strong, he said.

He even still has that original script.

"The reason I got into theatre was to meet girls, but what I actually got out of it was a lifetime of joy, of storytelling," he said.

"It hooks you in. There have been years when I haven't done a show for a while and you do, you miss it, you feel the pinch.

"It's a calling."

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: