This week, our Bethany School blog has been written by Mr Bolton, Director of Performing Arts. He writes about the hub of activity within the Performing Arts Department and expresses his gratitude towards Bethany’s extremely talented pupils.

It’s Rehearsal Time for Performing Arts!

You would be forgiven for thinking that after the success of “School of Rock” the Performing Arts department would perhaps use this term to draw breath, reflect and take a moment before embarking on their next project. Not a chance! Performing Arts continues to be a hub of activity as it prepares for its next set of high-quality performances.

Our LAMDA pupils are busy preparing for their exams on the 27th and 28th March and a selection of actors will be performing on Tuesday 14th March at 7pm in the Drama Studio. The evening promises to be an another excellent opportunity to showcase the LAMDA provision and reinforce the importance of being able to speak in front of an audience. We wish all our LAMDA pupils the very best of luck.

Year 10 GCSE Drama pupils are going to be performing extracts from a variety of plays including “Bouncers” and “Shakers” on Thursday evening. These performances will be filmed and go towards their GCSE coursework. The focus has been on how to create a convincing and effective character through working as an ensemble. Year 10 have explored the theatre of Steven Berkoff, Stanislavski and Artaud to create pieces that will no doubt entertain and engage the audience.

Meanwhile in Music, Year 13 BTEC pupils have been busy preparing for the Easter Concert on the 27th March. As part of their Level 3 music qualification, Year 13 have been tasked with overseeing the content, marketing and technical set up for this annual concert. This has created a real buzz in the music school with pupils from across all year groups using their lunchtimes and breaktimes to polish their performances.

I have been so impressed with the quality of our dance scholars this year and the dedication both the pupils and Mrs Payne have put into preparations for the Festival of Scholars is exceptional. Of course high quality performances take a considerable amount of rehearsal, and these year 7 dancers are already raising the bar in terms of their ability to commit and apply some innovative movement to the evening. 

What an absolute privilege it is for me to work with such talented teachers and pupils. Our performing arts calendar is always packed with opportunities to entertain audiences, produce high quality performances, and inspire our pupils. I will never take for granted how confident our young people at Bethany are. I look forward to sharing the success of these evening with you.

Mr Bolton
Director of Performing Arts