In the first week of February, 43 pupils (as well as more backstage) performed our Whole School Production, “The Red Shoes”.  

The red shoes is a moralistic story written by Hans Christian Andersen, a fairy tale with hints of horror and unease intertwined throughout. The general storyline of the book is about a girl who grew up poor, but soon was seduced by a pair of red shoes which played the role of a catalyst in the unraveling events of the girl’s life.   

Principal Richard Tillett’s reflected on the phenomenal performance:  

Each year we switch between a musical and a straight play as our main school production. The musicals tend to be spectacular pieces of conventional theatre – Annie at the Shaftesbury Theatre last year being a prime example. Thanks to the creative genius of our Director of Drama, Beckie Mills, the alternating plays in recent years have become more experimental, bold, challenging, thought-provoking - and absolutely stunning as a result. 
 
The Red Shoes was an extraordinary production, so complex and polished. And so inclusive: whereas the original production of the show in Edinburgh 25 years ago had a cast of five, this had 43 pupils taking part, including four leads, each from a different year group. The company fused together effortlessly, with the ingenious choreography and music allowing individuals’ talents to shine. The constant ebb and flow of the cast across the stage kept us captivated. 
 
And it was so technically advanced. I watched it with a friend who is an experienced Head of Drama, and he told me he could not believe how complex this production was, with constantly changing sound effects, lighting and projection. Afterwards we asked James Rose, the Technical Manager, how many cues he had been responsible for during the hour-long performance. His answer was ‘Eighty … for the lighting bit.’ 
 
I am so proud that we do theatre like this. We are enabling pupils to enjoy the camaraderie, teamwork and friendship that comes with being part of a shared endeavour towards which all have worked so hard, but we are also teaching them a great deal about theatre itself, exploring types of production that most schools would not dare to touch.