A PAIR of former youth theatre performers are hoping to trace fellow members of their Gwent-based company 50 years after they trod the boards together.

Gwent Youth Theatre is celebrating its golden anniversary next year.

It started life as the Monmouthshire Children's Theatre in 1956, and among the first members were Neil Jones and Julie Thomas.

"We performed all over Monmouthshire and even went to London to perform at a national exhibition," said Mr Jones, 62, who lives in Southville, Cwmbran.

He added: "There were seven original members chosen by Melville Thomas, the county drama organiser.

"I would dearly love to get hold of the others."

The theatre group used to meet every Friday afternoon in the Pontymoile education settlement in Pontypool.

The Melville Theatre in Abergavenny was named after the group's founder, Melville Thomas, who later married Julie Thomas, nee Brooks.

She said: "Melville learnt that some working-class people would never even consider going to the theatre. It was his dream to start a company that would take theatre to the community and schools to show working-class children what it was all about.

"We performed thousands of shows in schools across Gwent and it was a dream come true for him."

Mr Jones added: "It was a wonderful experience, we even performed in front of the then Prime Minister, Harold MacMillan."

Mr Jones has passed on his love of the theatre to his daughter Rachel Hamilton, who now runs Cwmbran's Congress Youth Theatre.

Mr Jones went on to become a Butlins entertainment manager for 25 years, while Julie Thomas studied at the Guildhall and did television, radio and theatre work. Melville died in 1994 aged 74.

Now the two are looking to trace their fellow thespians for a reunion to celebrate the golden anniversary.

Mr Jones said: "We know of a June Payne who moved from Ebbw Vale in 1958, and there were four lads from Caerleon one of them was called Deri Hall."

Mr Jones believes two of the others may have been called Glyn and Stuart.

* If you can help trace the members or were one yourself, contact Mr Jones on 01633 838472.