THEY are some of the best shows around – top class musical theatre.

One of the biggest driving forces behind the renovation of the former Queen Street mission into the stunning theatre that we have today was to provide a home for Huddersfield’s amateur theatre talent.

And for the last decade and more, that’s just what the Lawrence Batley Theatre has done.

Show weeks when the amateurs are in residence are often among the busiest in the theatre’s calendar.

The town, it seems, loves its music, its musicals and its amateur theatre.

This is why there is a little unease about the plight of societies who are heading into the theatre with big, talent-stuffed productions and are having to worry about whether the credit crunch will bite them at the box office.

Back them, buy a ticket, get real value for money and share in what the LBT is all about!