Bethany School

Bethany students took to the stage for this year's school production of "Guys and Dolls". For the first time the performances did not take place at school but at the 350 seat Royal Victoria Hall Theatre in Southborough. The spectacular shows were staged over three nights from 5th to 7th February and were generously sponsored by Hams Travel.

Rehearsals began in earnest last September, not only for the cast but also for the School Orchestra, which performed for the first time as part of the production. Over 70 students took to the stage with many more helping out back stage either as part of the technical crew, set painting, with make-up or as front of house assistants.

Helen Kirk, the School's Head of Drama was delighted with the success of the production. "To ensure the smooth running of such a large scale production the whole school pulls together and I am immensely grateful to everyone who helped out along the way. I am also very proud to be associated with such a talented and dedicated group of students, be they performers or part of the back stage crew. They have all worked incredibly hard and when I sit back and consider the size of our School it really does amaze me to see such a wealth of talent on display."

Although he only joined the School last September, Gareth Stubberfield, our Director of Music, made a major contribution to the production. "The School Orchestra was thoroughly prepared for pit playing by Mr Briggs and I have been impressed by the committed approach from soloists and the chorus to this challenging and varied show."

The show featured some great song and dance routines, including the well-known numbers "Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat" and "Luck be a Lady Tonight".