11/06/2026
Mrs Peggy Inglis, honorary member of Largs Amatuer Operatic Society, has passed away at the age of 96.
Peggy’s first involvement with the club was in 1976 when she choreographed “Fiddler on the Roof”. Determined to ensure the dancing was authentic, she asked her Jewish boss in Glasgow to show and tell her every traditional step in every minute detail.
By 1981, she had also taken on the role of director for “The Sound of Music” (running the local dance school came in useful for the Van Trapp’s). During this show, Peggy helped move the club in a modern direction by persuading the committee to allow microphone amplification for the first time.
Believe it or not, this was VERY controversial for an operatic group at the time. She also broke from tradition by having performers throughout the auditorium and not confined to the traditional stage. She defied certain mutterings of “we don’t do that sort of thing!” and went ahead anyway with her idea. It was a success! The Largs and Millport News declared, “The N***s Invade Barrfields” as the male chorus stormed in from the foyer and charged down the aisles! It gave Peggy’s production of “The Sound of Music” a VERY dramatic finale!
During 1989’s “Hello Dolly!”, Peggy again demonstrated her flair for thinking outside the box, by building a platform with scenery flats out in the middle of the auditorium floor. It immersed the audience in the action and allowed her lighting technician John Fulton to switch between scenes in an instant. John was the technician on most of her shows for the club, with her husband Tom or close pal Craig Anderson as stage managers. They were a tight team who helped morph Peggy’s ideas into reality.
Peggy came to the rescue of the club in 1991 when she took over the production of “Show Boat” one week before opening night. And when Barrfields Pavilion closed for a year in 1995, she took the club’s “Oklahoma!” to Greenock Arts Guild Theatre instead, with Largs audiences transported (by coach) up the coast to attend. She epitomised “the show must go on”.
Peggy’s final production for the club was her favourite musical, “Oklahoma!”, which she directed in 2005. In recognition of her contribution, she was made an Honorary Member and continued to support annual productions, concerts, and Patrons’ Nights for many years thereafter.
We will remember Peggy with love.
With thanks to Ryan Moir, a dear friend to Peggy for writing about her contribution to LAOS.
