Bromsgrove Prep – Twelfth Night

15 Dec 2016

Bromsgrove Preparatory School recently took on the challenge of Twelfth night by William Shakespeare. The Year 7 & 8 pupils told the story well, capturing the humour and fast-paced rhythm of the play. Twelfth Night was staged in Bromsgrove’s Drama Studio as a traverse production, with the audience sat on either side of the fast moving action. The audience left with a feeling that they had witnessed something special and that wouldn’t have been possible without all of the hard work of everyone involved.

Mr Charles Woollhead, Head of Prep School Drama said “I think that we managed to capture Shakespeare in a modern setting and make it feel relevant even 400 years after the text had been written. It is so wonderful to see such talented performers rise to the challenge and still walk away inspired and wanting to get involved in the next production”.

Construction of Bromsgrove School’s new Performing Arts complex is now firmly underway. Two distinct 300+ seat theatres are being created, linked by an avenue which also connects the Preparatory and Senior Schools. Historic Routh Hall on the Senior campus will be transformed into a concert hall, tuned exclusively for musical performances and making use of its exceptional acoustic qualities. Adjacent, a new Music School will house a suite of specialist classrooms, recording studios and instrumental practice rooms, as well as a reception foyer and box office.

The Performing Arts Avenue will then lead to an equivalent home for Drama, built where the old Cobham Hall once stood in the Preparatory School. Flexible seating and a hydraulic thrust stage will allow for a wide range of dramatic and dance performances. From intimate plays to large scale productions, the new facility will provide fully equipped technical galleries and safe access to all lighting and flying facilities, encouraging students into technical aspects of theatre as well as performance. The facility will also boast a 90-seat Performance Studio, with large scenic workshops, props stores and modern dressing rooms available for both lessons and productions.

Photo: Brook York- Olivia and Henry Jones- Sebastian