Theatre Trips

To start off the academic year, Year 12 and Year 13 visit the theatre in preparation for the Live Theatre aspect of their theoretical component, an exam that takes place each June. Students evaluate the performance in terms of acting skills, technical design and stage craft as well as analysing the wider impact of theatre on a modern audience.

September 2023: we visited Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent and watched an amazing adaptation of Ocean at the End of the Lane. Everybody was blown away with the stage craft. If it tours again, we thoroughly recommend; there were audible gasps in the ‘door’ scene. With the production’s echo of the 80s, it left us questioning the phenomenon of hindsight bias.

 

September 2024: we visited Lyric Hammersmith in London, to see an updated version of Timberlake Wertenbaker’s Our Country’s Good. Wertenbaker herself worked with Director Rachel O’Riordan to reimagine the role of Killara which provided a new commentary on colonisation. The play encouraged to appraise the role of theatre and performance as a restorative measure in prisons.

Each Christmas the whole of Year 7 visit the Lincoln Arts Centre to watch their annual offering. This is a fantastic opportunity for students to experience the wonders of Live Theatre, appreciating the etiquette of the theatre as we as making lasting memories.

December 2023: we watched their interpretation of A Christmas Carol. The staging choice of the theatre company was very imaginative, and our students were in the thick of the action – quite literally in the actual performance space

 

December 2024: Watch this space – we’re very excited to see the magic the Lincoln Arts Centre create with The Snow Queen.

April 2024: as another aid for their Drama written exam, Year 12 and Year 13 visited The Old Vic in London to watch Sophie Treadwell’s Machinal – a 1920s expressionist play which is very rarely staged. The students were wowed with the theatricality and really benefitted from seeing the transfer of characters from the page, to the stage.

 London Residential

The London Residential is an annual visit to the heart of British theatre - we all have a brilliant few days in the West End. Not only do we get to see two performances, but we also participate in high energy workshops at Pineapple Studios, eat lots of scrumptious food, witness courageous Street Theatre and even squeeze in shopping in Covent Garden. 

March 2024: during the matinee slot we watched Mamma Mia, a feel-good musical set to the soundtrack of Abba which seamlessly blends humour, romance, family and great choreography. In the evening, we saw the hilarious Play That Goes Wrong, a slapstick comedy about an amateur drama troupe attempting to stage a 1920s murder mystery. We participated in two workshops – one musical and one based on GCSE set text Blood Brothers, both delivered by two West End Performers. 

December 2024: Watch this space – we’re very excited to see a promenade production of Guys and Dolls as well as stage version of Mrs Doubtfire.

School Shows

March 2024: Lots of hard work went into the whole school show – High School Spectacular! With an amazing team effort from over 50 of our students. Students contributed on stage, backstage, in tech, in design and in pure organisational skills. High School Spectacular was exactly that, the High School showcased its spectacularly hilarious students in a mash up of lots of different scenes from a variety of plays. The comic timing of our students is a treasure to behold.

Workshops

May 2024: The 6^th Formers participated in a Technical Theatre Workshop with Mike Hoyle, a professional Lighting Designer & Theatre Technician. This was extremely useful ahead of written exams, where students design and analyse the technical aspects of performance. The interactive workshop combined with lecture, encouraged creative problem solving, collaboration and potential career appreciation.