W E L L I N G T O N C O L L E G E Y E A R B O O K 2 0/21
T H E A RT S
T
he Arts at Wellington continue to thrive, despite COVID doing its best to disrupt plans throughout the year, with inevitable isolations, lockdowns and the inconvenience of Year Group bubbles. However, the show must go on and so it has been a year of collaboration like no other, and one in which all areas have developed through individual year group and House-based activities. Dance produced some beautiful, innovative, and expressive performances, joining forces with Drama for the affectionately named “House Drance”, as well as rounding-off the year with a bang with the wonderful musical Company. The spectacular December Dance Show streamed a fun-filled journey through Charlie’s Chocolate Adventure. The Third and Fourth Form produced fun, expressive, highly articulate and meaningful pieces in the Summer Term’s Choreographic Challenge. In Drama, (along with music) the first event was a student-led evening of Musical Theatre raising money for Autistica and the Ruth Strauss Foundation. It was wonderful to see live performances in front of an audience again. In November, a talented Sixth Form ensemble cast performed Love and Information by Caryl Churchill to a streamed audience. As we went into our second lockdown in January, a cast drawn from Third Form to Upper Sixth gave us some light relief with Whose Line Is It Welly Way? Rehearsals for Sondheim’s Company moved online, as did rehearsals for the Fourth Form production of Buckets. When school reopened, we were delighted to return to ‘in person’ rehearsals and rediscover the magic of a rehearsal room, where stories come alive and skills are refined. More than anything, we were pleased to reconnect as a creative community. The moving and powerful production of Adam Barnard’s Buckets was allowed a small audience at the start of May and parents of cast members celebrated the success and talents of the Third and Fourth Form in The School of Musical Theatre later in the month. Mr Dahl opened his gardens to a live (and streamed) audience of Shakespeare in the Master’s Garden, where we witnessed some truly outstanding pieces that showcased the fantastic work that goes on in the LAMDA school. The year finished with a real bang. The musical Company was expertly
realised, with phenomenal singing and mature performances from the Fifth and Sixth Form cast: it was exciting to see the Annenberg come alive again. With music the opportunities seemed to far outshine the challenges, with numerous year group activities and a total of six choirs. Recitals and Monday concerts all happened in the first half of the Michaelmas Term but by the second half we further developed the possibilities of streamed events and gradually got used to performing to camera. With Matilda’s A Celebration of Romantic Song and remote masterclasses becoming the norm (flautist Ian Clark and baritone Roderick Williams for example), even our carol services were re-recorded and filmed. Our Gala Concert for example featured a number of venues around the school where we could move the camera from one performance to another. Despite not having a House Singing Competition, we did manage a successful House Ensemble Event. The Spring Concert and Minibus Concert both
happened on-line but it was wonderful to highlight the work of the year group ensembles and showcase the variety of talent in the school. The Montgomery Competitions were live events streamed to parents and the standard and confidence in our students was outstanding, from the seniors, won by Catherine to the singers, won by Matilda to the Junior competition won by Yi-Ann. In the Summer Term we were able to have some live masterclasses, with the Ossian ensemble (for composition) and Remus Azoitei (for violin) and despite the late cancellation of Speech Day due to another COVID restriction, we were at least able to finish the year with the excitement of musical and dramatic Year Group Assembly performances. In Art, we marked the start of the new year with a range of workshops, projects and enrichment for all ages with visiting artists and designers. We welcomed Scottish Street artist Fraser Gray and Theatrical costume designer
With music the opportunities seemed to far outshine the challenges
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