Interviews

Moore 'blown away' by '1978' show

Darren Moore gave a resounding thumbs-up to the ‘1978’ show, inspired by the story of Albion’s “Three Degrees” team, which premiered at Sandwell Academy on Wednesday night.

And the head coach is urging fans of the Baggies and theatre alike to treat themselves to the remaining tickets for Thursday’s final performance after it was given a rapturous reception. 

The show was researched, written and performed by the Academy’s Year 10 performing arts students after the Club challenged them to delve into the legend of the team inspired by Cyrille Regis, Laurie Cunningham and Brendon Batson, which broke down barriers and entertained a generation of Baggies fans.

It will now be used as an educational tool by the Albion Foundation with the aim of spreading the message of that time to schools and communities across the region.

Darren sat alongside an emotional Julia Regis on Wednesday night to see the efforts of the pupils come to life and was “blown away” by what he saw.

“What a fantastic show.” he said. “The messages they put out, the acting, the vocals, the songs, their interaction with each other - it was a really fabulous performance, of the highest order and quality. 

“I was really pleased to be at tonight’s show and I’d say to anyone listening to this that you must, must, get down here to see the performance of these students. 

“It was a credit to every single one of them, the school, and the football club. It was a great show with a strong message. 

“They’ve brought something to life from 40 years ago to the present day and some of the messages they’ve portrayed show us all that we have a part to play in society, to rid the culture of racism in our communities. 

“The way they went about it was superb. They’ve challenged us all to play our part - we can make a change today.

“Absolutely I’m proud of this football club, to stand here today as the head coach of West Brom. 

“My full backing and support is behind what I saw on that stage. It’s great that the club has partnered with the school, and together, both the club and the school, have put on a performance with a strong message.

“If you can get here to see it, come along, because I’ve been blown away tonight. I’m proud of the students and very proud to be a part of it, so well done to all of them and well done to the football club. Let’s keep shining the light.” 

If you are interested in snapping up the remaining £5 tickets for the hour-long show, which begins at 7pm at the Academy in Halford’s Lane, you can do so by contacting Albion’s main ticket office or the school. Any remaining tickets will be available on the door.

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