Performing Arts Highlights

Italia Conti

Part of our dance group were invited to the prestigious Italia Conti Theatre School for a day of workshops and performances. The day consisted of three sessions in contemporary, commercial, and dance technique.

At the end of the day, students took part in a question-and-answer session with staff and students from the BA Musical Theatre course, discussing entry requirements and what our students would need to do between now and then to gain entry to drama school.

Be My Baby

Our Year 12 Performing Arts students performed Be My Baby, a play about adoption practices in the 1960s. The production follows the lives of four girls who have been sent to a convent hospital to give birth so that their babies can be put up for adoption, and is based on true stories.

All of the students delivered emotional and stirring performances to a full house in our drama studio, which was presented as a black- and-white production. The performance also featured music from the 1960s, which students danced and sang to throughout the evening.

In addition to staging our own production, students also visited the theatre to watch another adaptation of the play. Directed by one of the original cast members, it was fascinating for students to compare interpretations and discuss their own experiences of performing the play.

Glee Finals

We spent much of this year preparing for the finals of the Jack Petchey Glee Club Challenge, which took place at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London’s West End. This was an incredible opportunity for our students to perform on a major West End stage.

We performed both pieces with extraordinary energy, enthusiasm, and coordination, and truly succeeded in getting the audience on our side. One of the biggest cheers of the evening was for one of our soloists, who brought the house down with his passion and talent. Unfortunately, the judges decided that it was not our night, and we were very unlucky not to place.

Nevertheless, being involved in the Jack Petchey competition has been an unforgettable experience for everyone involved.

The National Youth Monologues is an annual competition inviting students from Key Stages 2–5 to perform a monologue. Over 6,000 entries are submitted each year from schools, colleges, drama schools, and performing arts establishments. This was our first year entering the competition.

We submitted a total of 15 performances to the judges and were delighted to receive confirmation that all 15 students had been shortlisted for the regional finals, with five students also receiving Judges’ Commendations.

Although we narrowly missed out on finalist places this year, all of our students were recognised at the awards ceremony held in central London at the start of May. Their names and monologues were also published on the National Youth Monologues website as winners.

In addition, Performing Arts at Chiswick School has been nominated as a regional finalist alongside only five other schools across London, including three professional theatre schools. This means we are in with a chance of being crowned London Monologue Champions and progressing to the national finals. At the time of writing, we are still awaiting the final ceremony in mid-June. Judges praised the depth of talent within the department and the impressive range of performances submitted.

Little Prince / Metamorphosis

Our third Narrative Dance Evening took place at the start of May. Earlier this year we explored A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Christmas Day at the Workhouse, and this term students performed Metamorphosis and The Little Prince.

The productions were performed by Key Stage 3 students (The Little Prince) and Key Stages 4 and 5 students (Metamorphosis), featuring choreography set to music by Nick Drake alongside a specially produced soundtrack created for the show.

Both performances lasted approximately 20 minutes, with all 60 students giving exceptional performances. One of the strengths of the evening was the contrast between the productions, with the playful nature of The Little Prince juxtaposed against the darker themes of Metamorphosis.

The performances took place at Hammersmith Hall, a beautiful Edwardian theatre space which we hope to use again in the future. As always, the packed audience were hugely impressed.

Kes

Our Year 10 Performing Arts students staged Kes, based on the book and film of the same name. Traditionally set in the late 1960s, we decided to reinterpret the production in 2016 — a significant year in modern British history, with a number of major news stories woven throughout the narrative.

Film projections were used throughout the performance to enhance the atmosphere of the decade, alongside music by David Bowie, whose death in 2016 became a thematic backdrop to Billy Casper’s tragedy. The play was staged in traverse, with the audience seated on either side of the performance space, which represented both a house and a school environment.

Every member of the cast — including several students performing on the “big stage” for the first time — delivered excellent performances, and the blend of comedy and tragedy earned a well-deserved standing ovation.

Meh’lements

We were asked by a local theatre to step in and “put on a show” after another group withdrew at the last minute. Naturally, we stepped up to the challenge.

The result was Meh’lements — “Meh” because of the short preparation time, and “elements” because this became the central theme of the production. In total, students performed 20 dances inspired by air, earth, fire, and water, each full of dynamism and expression.

Most of the dances were choreographed by the students themselves, and their creativity and sense of ownership brought a wonderful feeling of togetherness to the production. The evening concluded with a full-cast performance of Fantasy by Earth, Wind & Fire and, despite the rushed preparation, the packed audience rose to their feet for another standing ovation.

Coming Soon

• Dustmotes Dancing in the Sunbeams — OSO
• Threepenny Opera — George and Devonshire
• Review and New — Hounslow Arts Centre
• DNA — Tabard Theatre
• Seussical — Chiswick School Main Hall