A packed and exciting theatre trip for music and drama pupils...

It is so great to see a theatre trip taking place back in London after a significant absence from the School calendar. It was even more exciting to be sharing this trip with the Music department. In the morning, we split and the GCSE Drama and Performing Arts pupils had the opportunity to have a guided tour around the National Theatre on Southbank. The imposing structure of concrete houses three theatres, rehearsals rooms, offices, creative work spaces and production workshops. The aim of the National Theatre is to make world-class theatre accessible to everyone by reproducing old stories and telling new ones. It certainly was an incredibly inspiring place to be for the 90 minutes we were there. We managed to see three productions getting ready for their shows in the Dorfman, Olivier and the Lyttelton Theatre. The technical team were setting up video, light and sound for the production of The Boy with Two Hearts in the Dorfman. Actors were warming up for The Crucible in the Olivier Theatre. And finally, the technical team of the Lyttelton were setting up the revolve stage for Blue for an Alabama Sky. It was a great experience for the pupils to see how much work goes on behind the scenes to make what is usually seen on stage possible. Backstage, we had an insight into the route a new set takes when being designed, built, and decorated ready for the production.

Following the tour, we walked along The Strand and saw the theatres of The Lion King, SIX, Back To The Future, and Pretty Woman before making our way to the Apollo Victoria to see Wicked. It was a great performance and being able to see the lead actors on a Wednesday matinee was a real treat. They were superb, particularly Lucie Jones as Elphaba, Helen Woolf as Glinda and Gary Wilmot as The Wizard. The Apollo Victoria is a vast theatre seating 2328 at full capacity which was a huge contrast to the intimate Dorfman Theatre we had seen earlier in the day at the National Theatre.

Will Stainton - Head of Performing Arts

On Wednesday, we took a large group of Music and Performing Arts pupils to London to experience a range of performances, museums, and tours. The musicians started by visiting the museum of The Royal College of Music. The pupils were treated to an interactive and entertaining virtual tour, exploring and listening to items such as the world’s oldest guitar and one of the oldest surviving keyboard instruments, amongst many other instruments and exhibits. We then walked by the Royal Albert Hall and through Knightsbridge and Belgravia (with a brief stop-off in the Harrod’s food hall for some cake!) to join the Performing Arts pupils at the Apollo Victoria Theatre, where we watched a spellbinding performance of ‘Wicked’, which was thoroughly enjoyed by all. After the excitement and intensity of the show, many pupils went to Westminster Cathedral to enjoy a portion of a sung mass, which was being performed by the gentlemen of the Cathedral Choir. This was a lovely moment of calm, after what had been a fully packed and exciting day.

Oliver Higgs - Head of Music Technology

Flickr album: BTEC Performing Arts & Music Cultural Trip to London - 5th October 2022 | Height: auto | Theme: Default | Skin: Default Skin