R EI G AT E G R A M M A R SC H OO L
LEATHERHEAD DRAMA AWARDS Winner of the Best New Writing Award at the Leatherhead Drama Awards went to Oliver Woolgrove, Tom Box, Nicole James and Goya Verity for their play dealing with the effects of Alzheimer’s on families. This powerful and lyrical piece of physical theatre tells the story of two brothers blighted by this horrible illness.
The adjudicator praised the group for their dynamic story-telling and their lyrical choice of soundtrack. She was moved to tears by the sensitivity of the piece. Goya also won the prestigious Best Actress Award at the Festival - she is a talent to watch in the future. After her phenomenal performance in Angus, Thongs and Even More Snogging, it is lovely to see her delivering such a diverse set of performance skills. Both Reigate Grammar School pieces
submitted for this competition were short listed for awards including Liv Burgess, Sammy Wolsey, Jake White and Izzy Radford’s punchy and hysterically funny/ satirical attack on every day sexism. The pieces were competing against outstanding local and county school and youth theatre groups – including beating Caterham School, Reed’s School and Epsom College entries. Congratulations also to our technical team – Josh Packham and Andrew Mailer for all their help.
ENGLISH CHORAL MUSIC EVENING The new church centre at St Mary’s was an excellent venue for a new addition to the RGS music calendar in March. Choirs from all areas of the RGS community combined to form a delightful evening of English music, masterminded by Head of Choral Music, Tali Glynne-Jones.
Highlights of the programme included Britten’s Ceremony of Carols performed with style by the choristers of the RGS Godfrey Searle Choir, and Holst’s Four Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda, sung with great confidence by the Britten Choir, formed of senior girls. Both pieces were supported by supremely assured harp-playing from Eleanor Medcalf (Fifth Form) – a really remarkable feat for a student musician. Students of Polyphony joined the RGS Cantata Choir for Purcell’s Jubilate in D, featuring solos from Miranda Harding, Rachel Dungate and Hugh Blayney, with 12
accompaniment from the chamber orchestra led by Gabriele Brasaite and directed by Simon Rushby. The Cantata Choir also performed two much-loved madrigals, The Silver Swan and April is in my Mistress’ Face, before all the singers combined for a rousing rendition of Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus.
The integration of choirs large and small, and representing different ages and elements of the whole RGS community, was a really notable feature of the event and it provided for an entertaining evening for the appreciative audience. Thank you, to Mrs S Medcalf for the wonderful write-up.