GLASGOW’S Scouts were tearing up the stage this weekend as the 3rd annual South Western District Gang Show took place at Hutcheson’s Grammar School.

Audiences were treated to an all-singing, all-dancing performance from Scouts aged 6-17.

Stuart Yuill, District Commissioner, said: “The kids had a ball. They were really playing to the audience which was great because all of the audiences were in great spirits.”

The kids performed four times over the weekend, with a matinee and an evening performance on both Saturday and Sunday.

But disaster struck when the fire alarm at the South Side school was set off two minutes into Sunday afternoon’s opening number.

Stuart said: “It was almost like fate. The kids were on the stage singing “Three Cheers For The Years” and the alarm went off, you couldn’t make it up!

“We had to usher everyone out the hall, trying to tell them that this wasn’t a drill. The poor kids were standing outside in their T-shirts and shorts for nearly half an hour. We had them outside doing ‘Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes’ just to keep them warm.”

After 30 minutes in the cold, the performers and audience members piled back into the school before the show started from the top again.

Stuart said: “It really didn’t bother the kids, they were just as excited to start again from the beginning and the audience were still in good spirits. It really was a case of ‘the show must go on’.

“It is difficult because it is youngsters putting the show on but we just told them to go out there and give it laldi, which is what they did.”

But for Stuart, the inconvenience of the fire alarm only spurred on the Scouts more to put on a fantastic show.

“It’s a testament to how hard they’ve worked the past few months that they have the ability to do that and still put on a fantastic show.”

Scouts performed musical numbers and comedy sketches to adoring audiences, numbers of which have grown year on year.

Stuart said that the bigger audiences have encouraged the kids to come out of their shell more and more year-on-year.

“The matinee performances were really well attended this year but every audience we had over the weekend was up for it, clapping along and joining in.

“The kids were really playing to the audience and they loved it. They can’t wait to do it again next year. Quite a few folk were there for the first time and we hope that they’ll be coming along again next time.”

And the performance wasn’t just a chance for the Scouts to show off their amazing talents, but also to help build up confidence of those in the troop as well.

Stuart said: “We have kids from all walks of life, people with disabilities, autism, attention deficit disorder and they all put their heart and soul into it, it’s fantastic to see.

“Even with the fire alarm at our Sunday afternoon performance, they were all raring to start again and put on a show that the audience and themselves would be proud of.”