We have now closed the doors at Stagedoor HQ for the summer holidays, and are enjoying a well-deserved rest after a phenomenal first year.

The last week of term saw us visiting two local primary schools – Warden Hill and Greatfield Park, to perform an abridged version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Our first port of call was Warden Hill Primary School, where we performed for 120 Year 5 and 6 students. Headteacher Georgina Flooks told us afterwards “The children loved it!! A great way to finish the year” and invited us back “any time”! The following day, we went to Greatfield Park Primary, where we performed to the whole of Key Stage 2, before answering questions from the children, including how long we rehearsed the play for, whether the cast members enjoyed playing their character, and what our favourite Shakespeare plays were. Nikki Hill, Headteacher at Greatfield Park said “the children (and staff) loved it! They were absolutely buzzing afterwards.” Highlights of the performance included some very funny work from Mary, Saskia, Joe & Sean as the four lovers in the play, and a hilarious version of Bottom & Co’s Pyramus & Thisbe. There were also mischievous fairies, silly sound effects and lots of bubbles. The Stagedoor gang really enjoyed performing for a different sort of audience, and agreed it was a fabulous way to end the year.

As we come to the end of the first year, we’ve been looking back on how much we have achieved. Our 11 students have seen 22 professional productions at the Everyman – all for free – and have rated these on our League of Productions. Just before the end of term, we were treated to the utterly brilliant Mischief Movie Night, which, unsurprisingly, went straight to the top of the league, joining The Flying Loves of Vitebsk, and Birdsong – which has held the top spot since we saw it in February. As well as seeing 22 productions, they have performed live 14 times – including 3 times on BBC Radio, 4 times in the Everyman Studio, twice for the Everyman Theatre Association, and in venues as diverse as Pittville Pump Rooms, The Egg in Bath and three school halls. We have also completed 8 out of the 13 required units of study for the BTEC Extended Diploma, and of these, have banked over 60 Distinction grades for individual units.

Looking ahead, we welcome a new group of students in September, more than doubling the number of Stagedoor students. This will enable us to do even more exciting performances, as well as to continue with the work we’ve started this year with the Everyman. Already booked in are two nights in the Studio theatre – 13th November will see the new First Years performing their variety show, and then on 14th November, the Second Years will perform Zero for the Young Dudes! by Alistair McDowell. As well as that, we will be performing on the beautiful main stage of the Everyman on 11th November as part of a huge commemoration of 100 years since the end of WW1. Not only that, but four of our students will be performing in On The Mend, a community production led by our favourite director, Bryn Holding. Look out for more details in the autumn.

In the meantime, I want to thank the students, their parents, everyone at The Everyman, and at VLUK for helping to make the first year of Stagedoor Learning such a huge success. Roll on September!