New York
Yellow cabs, skyscrapers, billboards: We saw them all! On the first week of April, the SWPS Drama department was out in New York, rapidly ticking off our bucket lists as we walked through Central Park and Times Square. The tedious, seven hour flight and a long coach ride was worth the thrill of setting foot in the City that never sleeps. Taking pictures in the same filming locations as ‘Spider-Man’ and ‘Home Alone’ was truly a dreamlike experience and I still scroll back and forth in my camera album to reminisce about such a dynamic trip.
Everyday was brimming with new activities, thanks to the amazing teachers, such as visiting the Statue of Liberty, touring around Madison Square garden and Radio City but the one of the highlights of my time there was, of course, the drama! The students spent one afternoon learning choreography and harmonies of the song ‘My Shot’ at an energising ‘Hamilton’ workshop led by talented cast members. On that same day, we were lucky enough to be audience members of the dramatic musical ‘Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street’, starring Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashbury as Sweeney Todd and Mrs Lovett. I was also extremely excited to find Jordan Fisher and Gaten Matarazzo on the same stage as Anthony and Tobias. (Sometimes, I wonder if this actually happened because of how surreal it was to be there.) And we obviously have to mention the food- from 7/11 snacks to diners, I enjoyed every mouthful. It was especially a pleasure to eat at Ellen’s Stardust Diner, where the workers at the diner would entertain us with impressive singing. We also felt the importance of educating ourselves of the September 11 attacks. The 9/11 museum and memorial was informative, compelling and a lot of us could not help but tear up as we discovered more about the event. Despite the tight schedule, the teachers allowed us plenty of shopping opportunities at the iconic Macy’s, Target and more. After bucket loads of recreation, the Drama department ended each day with a well-deserved rest in the comfort of the luxurious New Yorker hotel.
The trip to New York definitely strengthened my connection with other students and I felt a strong sense of unity through our simultaneous passion for drama. Surrounding myself in New York’s prominent culture in performance and art only made my love for drama grow stronger. I cannot thank the staff enough for taking their time to arrange this enriching excursion.
– Eden S (Year 10)
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
The Drama and Music Departments were delighted to present Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat earlier in June. A cast and crew of 75 talented students bought the story of Joseph and his antics to life with exceptional performances from each and every student involved. They worked incredibly hard over the last few months and showed an impressive amount of commitment, dedication and motivation in what was a very busy time of year in the school calendar. Set in Egypt and based on the Biblical character Joseph, the story follows Joseph as his 11 brothers hatch a plan to sell him to avenge their jealousy of him being their father’s favourite.
With such a large cast of years 7 to 9, it was a delight to see so many of them being involved both on stage and in backstage and supporting roles. It has created a real buzz and made us incredibly excited for our whole school musical next year.
Kicking off Junior Drama
On 22 June, the Drama Department hosted the annual Junior Drama Scriptwriting Day. JD is a year 8 inter-house competition that has been a tradition at SWPS for over forty years. 22 students in Year 12 have volunteered their time to write and direct their respective house’s performances for which rehearsals start in September. These performances are then delivered to parents and two guest judges who pick a winner. It is often a students’ first time being on a stage, an experience we are privileged to offer here at SWPS.
Next year’s school production
We have had such an exciting year with Junior Drama, Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and countless trips, including to New York! But of course, there is still more to come. We are delighted to announce that our next whole school production will be Made in Dagenham. We have been busy auditioning and casting before the end of the term and are really excited to dive into rehearsals.
