The Show Must Go On(line)!

Students from across the Stamford Endowed Schools are continuing to showcase their drama performances with productions rehearsed, filmed and shared online.

Mrs C Hill, Head of Drama (Performance), spoke to us about what is to come:

 Like so many industries, the performing arts world has been deeply impacted by the pandemic. Theatres are dark; stages are bare and seats are empty. In ever changing and uncertain times, the Drama Department at the Stamford Schools are proud to launch our The Show Must Go On(line) series.Last term, rehearsing in our Sixth Form bubble, we staged Timberlake Wertenbaker’s transformative work Our Country’s Good. Perhaps never more has a piece about the power of theatre, and its place as an essential part of humanity, been more appropriate. We had hoped to be able to perform to a socially distanced audience of Sixth Form peers, but last-minute Tier 4 restrictions moved our performance online. Thus, our leap into a virtual world began.Alongside this, our stellar group of Drama Scholars were working on their first ‘Challenge’ of the year, inspired by the words of Oscar Wilde, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery…”. They chose a range of works from film, television, and theatre that they had been inspired by, and performed extracts, designed sets, re-imagined posters, or critically evaluated the successes of these inspirational pieces of art. Be sure to keep a look out for these as we have already begun releasing excerpts via our Twitter (@SS_Drama) and Instagram (@dramases) accounts.

Launching Stamford Drama’s “The Show Must Go On(line)” series, we kick things off with a submission to our recent drama scholars’ project. Day 1: “Love Actually” by Angharad (Y12) @SpedeNews @PrincipalsDesk #LoveActuallyIsAllAround 🎭 pic.twitter.com/M2tgEux2H4

— Stamford Drama (@SS_Drama) January 20, 2021

Day 2: “Girls Like That” by Eve (Y12) Part of Stamford Schools’ “The Show Must Go On(line)” series, an extract from the drama scholars’ “Imitation is the best form of flattery” project. @SpedeNews @PrincipalsDesk @VickyBuckman @SESSixthForm 🎭 pic.twitter.com/QYSOjgdF2S

— Stamford Drama (@SS_Drama) January 21, 2021

Day 3: “The Grand Budapest Hotel” by Lottie (Y11). Part of Stamford Schools’ “The Show Must Go On(line)” series, a design from our drama scholars’ “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” project. @SpedeNews @VickyBuckman @PrincipalsDesk 🏨🎭👩🏻‍🎨 pic.twitter.com/sMkxJWiN6c

— Stamford Drama (@SS_Drama) January 22, 2021

Day 4: “Star Wars” by Charlie, Oli, Sasha, and directed by Harry. Continuing our extracts from the scholars’ “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” project. #TheShowMustGoOnline 🎭 pic.twitter.com/uPwtRzARwB

— Stamford Drama (@SS_Drama) January 25, 2021

Day 5: “Four Weddings and a Funeral” by Charlie (Y11). Continuing our “The Show Must Go On(line)” series, this extract is part of a submission to our scholars’ “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” project. 🎭 @SpedeNews @PrincipalsDesk @Stamford_Head pic.twitter.com/lH4SbdJtQR

— Stamford Drama (@SS_Drama) January 26, 2021

Day 6: “The Shining” by Ahren (Y13). Continuing “The Show Must Go On(line)” series is an analysis of cinematography, part of the drama scholars’ “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” project 🎥🎬@SpedeNews @PrincipalsDesk @Stamford_Head @SESSixthForm 🎭 pic.twitter.com/bGiChjFofY

— Stamford Drama (@SS_Drama) January 27, 2021

Day 7: “Enola Holmes” by Ada (Y9). Part of “The Show Must Go On(line)” series, today we share another extract from our scholars’ “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” project. 🎭@SpedeNews @SHS_Head @PrincipalsDesk @SHS_Herald pic.twitter.com/IXqdEjxoxy

— Stamford Drama (@SS_Drama) January 28, 2021

Day 8: “Mrs Doubtfire” by Henry (Y9). The ☀️ is out, the longest month ever is nearing an end, so we celebrate with this extract from our drama scholars’ “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” project 👵🏻🕺🏻👏🏻 #TheShowMustGoOnline 🎭@SpedeNews @PrincipalsDesk @Stamford_Head pic.twitter.com/vIE12MlnxB

— Stamford Drama (@SS_Drama) January 29, 2021

Day 9: “Clueless” by Esme (Y12). Today’s extract from the scholars’ “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” project is a throwback to the 90s! 👗👠👩🏼🎭 @SpedeNews @SHS_Head @SHS_Herald @SESSixthForm @PrincipalsDesk pic.twitter.com/yOvsBaGzUt

— Stamford Drama (@SS_Drama) February 1, 2021

Day 10: “Peaky Blinders” by Dylan (Y10). Continuing “The Show Must Go On(line)” series, an extract from the scholars’ “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” project. @SpedeNews @Stamford_Head @PrincipalsDesk 🎭 pic.twitter.com/CuTonV0s32

— Stamford Drama (@SS_Drama) February 2, 2021

Day 11: “Thirteen Reasons Why” by Jess (Y9). ⚠️MATURE CONTENT WARNING⚠️ Continuing “The Show Must Go On(line)” series, an extract from the scholars’ “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” project. @SpedeNews 🎭 pic.twitter.com/yd2qwjNEti

— Stamford Drama (@SS_Drama) February 3, 2021

Day 12: “Enola Holmes” by Brooke (Y11). Continuing our “The Show Must Go On(line)” series, an extract from the scholars’ “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” project. @SpedeNews @SHS_Herald @SHS_Head @PrincipalsDesk 🎭 pic.twitter.com/E6jOckuHrJ

— Stamford Drama (@SS_Drama) February 4, 2021

Day 13: “Curious Incident.../Things I Know to be True/One Man, Two Guvnors” by Jacob (Y12). In this submission to the scholars’ project, Jacob explores the effective use of lighting in three phenomenal stage productions 💡🎭 @SpedeNews @PrincipalsDesk @SESSixthForm @Stamford_Head pic.twitter.com/VjgnWsCIvO

— Stamford Drama (@SS_Drama) February 5, 2021

 

As we step into an uncertain, yet hopeful, 2021, we commence work on three exciting new projects:

Joint Projects

A company of boys and girls from Years 7-9 will devise, and remotely record, Saturn Base Nova. On the sixth planet from our sun, a crew of astronauts are sent to explore the harsh and desolate environment of Saturn. The team of Saturn Base Nova are isolated and alone and, after many months of experiments, they find nothing. However, when critical systems begin to break down, it soon becomes clear that they aren’t alone after all. 

Stamford High School

At Stamford High School, a company of students in Years 10-11 will perform The Marvellous Mellow Melodrama of the Marriage of the Mislaid Minor. Set out to destroy his nemesis Major Kerslake, moustache-twirling villain Dirk Dastardly concocts a devilish plot to marry the major’s daughter, Penelope. When things don’t quite go his way, he kidnaps her and, with the help of his brainless sidekicks, plans to tie her to the railway lines. The performance promises to have all the elements of a riotous comic melodrama. 

Stamford School

Across the River Welland, a company of Year 10-11 students at Stamford School will be embarking on a creative adaptation of Agatha Christie’s The Murder on the Orient Express. Complete with blustering British officer, innocent ingénue, enigmatic seductress and, of course, a dead body, the performance will parody the archetypal murder mystery. The culmination of these endeavours will be available on the Schools’ Microsoft Stream platform in the Summer Term. Look out for information in the weekly digest nearer the time for more details.We look forward once more to the buzz of backstage, the anticipation of the dimming of the lights, and that magical shared experience between the artists and the audience, but, until then, join us on a journey of creativity and imagination as The Show Must Go On(line). For more news from the Drama Department at Stamford, please click here.