A NEWPORT entertainer will take to the stage for his 150th show this week.

Peter Hourahine, 81, has been performing for more than 60 years but says he never gets tired of it.

He is currently busy rehearsing for STC Musical Society's latest production of State Fair which starts tonight.

Mr Hourahine, now the society’s oldest and longest serving member on stage, will take the part of one of the State Fair judges and will share the stage with members of all ages including ten-year-old newcomer Masie Jenkins.

His first show was in 1945 with the Army Cadet Force and he joined STC Musical Society in 1958 after starting work at Standard Telephones in Newport.

Since then the former Butlins red coat has appeared in every one of its shows including its annual musicals and reviews.

His favourite parts have been the role of Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof, a role he has played three times, and The Music Man.

His performances have won him four major awards at the Waterford Festival of Light Opera over the years and he also won awards as a member of The Fortunaires vocal group which he was part of for 46 years.

Mr Hourahine, who presented his own show on BBC Radio Gwent in the 1990s, said: "Performing is a way of life for me, it's in the blood."

He said he still gets a buzz from the feeling of being on stage.

"They'll have to shoot me before I get off. This is what keeps me young - having to use my brain and keeping up with the youngsters," he said.

Mr Hourahine describes the society as a family and there are several members of the same family within this year’s show.

This includes musical director Marc Williams and his wife Julie who is the production’s choreographer.

Mr and Mrs Williams also have lead roles in the show which also features their 17-year-old daughter Daisy.

Other families in the show include Debbie Byard, her daughter Kelly Sheppard and granddaughter Molly Sheppard, husband and wife John and Sharon Davies, and Joan Davis and her granddaughter Bethany Davis.

State Fair runs from tonight to Saturday at the Dolman Theatre in Newport with a matinee on the Saturday. Tickets are available on the door and contact the Dolman Theatre on 01633 263670 for further details.