STAGE IS SET FOR HAPPIEST DAY AFTER SHANKLIN THEATRE PROPOSAL
LOVE was in the air when Mark Kelly stage-managed his marriage proposal to the producer of a show in front of a cheering packed Shanklin Theatre on Saturday evening 4th June. It was an amazing night in every sense for Charlotte Short, who also performed in the Island Dance and Theatre Company’s “A Passport to Dance” — the final show of its run.
As is the tradition at the end of the last show, awards and flowers were presented, and when Mark, her partner of two years, stepped onto the stage with a bouquet, she assumed nothing out of the ordinary was happening. But it all changed when the 35 year old went down on one knee, reached into his pocket for a ring and, armed with a microphone, popped the question — to the gasps and cheers of the cast and 200 strong audience.
Mark said: “When I asked her, I obviously didn’t know what she was going to decide, so I was relieved and happy when she said yes! I asked her mum & dad for permission and they were happy with my idea but I did it after the show as I didn’t want to take the limelight away from those who performed in it.”
It was quite a bombshell for Charlotte who co-runs an entertainment company with her mother, Linda Smith & manages Tutus and Tailcoats dance wear & fancy dress shop in Regent Street, Shanklin.
“When he got up there, I thought, what’s he doing, and before I could run in the other direction, he went & did it,” said Charlotte. “I was very pleasantly shocked. It was something I’ll never forget.”
From all of us here at the theatre, we wish Charlotte and Mark all the very best for their future together!
Image courtesy of Maurice Gilliam, & story by Jon Moreno IWCP.
