Gala Night for Grand Opening at RGS Worcester

The Performing Arts Centre includes a fully operational theatre, two Drama studios, facilities for the actors, a spacious foyer area and state-of-the-art lighting and sound facilities. There is even a green screen for filming. The high quality of the facilities in the Centre was made possible by donations from members of the School community who were able to sponsor seats in the theatre.

The Gala Night was a special event with local dignitaries, parents, alumni, friends and former pupils attending a black-tie pre-show dinner. The Grand Opening was performed by Mrs Rosemary Ham, Chair of Governors when the plans for the Performing Arts Centre were introduced. Mrs Ham is herself a former English and Drama teacher and Head of Department from The Alice Ottley School which merged with RGS Worcester in 2007. She spoke of the importance of the Creative and Performing Arts for children’s development before cutting a ribbon and declaring the Centre open.

The guests then enjoyed a performance of this year’s musical and were extremely impressed by the quality of the acting, singing, dancing and music making, all performed by the pupils. A plaque to mark the occasion was unveiled while the Headmaster, John Pitt, thanked everyone who had made the creation of the Performing Arts Centre possible.

The School’s Drama pupils gave six performances of the musical in the space of five days. This included a matinée performance on Friday 29 November which was delivered to an audience of local Primary School and Prep School pupils. After the performance the student actors discussed the play with the children and answered their questions. The Performing Arts Centre will be used for further Drama productions throughout the year, as well as for performances, presentations, conferences and dance events for the community.

The Headmaster, John Pitt, commented, “It is a spectacular facility which has been designed to be as flexible as possible. Drama and the Performing Arts at RGS Worcester are extremely strong and we are delighted that we now have a theatre and studios that do it justice. We had a lovely evening to mark the Grand Opening which was a chance to thank everyone involved in the project, and also celebrate with the pupils as they gave a remarkable performance of Les Misérables, worthy of professional actors on a West End stage.”