Exmouth youth theatre company Centre Stage has announced that it has postponed its production of Westside Story until next year, in the interests of the 'health and welfare' of its members and the public.

The 'difficult decision' was made at the end of last week but Centre Stage is keen to point out that it has exciting plans in store for 2021, its 50th anniversary year.

Centre Stage is also looking for any innovative fundraising ideas, as the theatre company's income has suffered during the coronavirus outbreak.

A spokesperson for Centre Stage Exmouth said: "We have made the difficult decision today to postpone West Side Story until April 2021.

"We will always put the health and welfare of our company and audience first and the risk of putting the production on in October was too great.

"We have plans for a great 2021, our 50th anniversary year - West Side Story in April, our Golden celebration in July, Kipps (the new Half a Sixpence Musical) in October and Shrek the musical in April 2022.

"We are currently holding online events with the company and we hope to meet up as soon as we are able, hopefully holding our Christmas concert in December.

"In the meantime, we are still here, don't forget us, we are fundraising online and applying for grants where we can. As you can imagine our income is down so we have to up the fundraising game! Any ideas, please let us know.

"For now, stay safe and rest assured Centre Stage is still very much alive and looking forward to the future."

Centre Stage is the multi-award- winning Youth Theatre Company based in Exmouth, Devon.

The company was established in 1971 as the 14-20 Music and Drama Society and its aims, all these years later, remain very much the same; to advance the education of children and young people in music and the performing arts and to promote, improve, develop and maintain public education and appreciation of music and the Performing Arts

The company has a membership of 40 young people aged between 11 and 21 who, all perform in every production the company produces, ranging from the much loved Gilbert and Sullivan Operattas, the family favourite Rodgers and Hammerstien musical comedies to the new writers such as Howard Goodall, giving this talented company a varied balance of the musicals available to them.

To find out more about Centre Stage Exmouth, click here.