On Sunday 31 January 2016, the Middle School Houses came together to perform for the coveted House Performing Arts trophy. The girls had been tasked with devising their own 20 minute adaptations of existing Musical Theatre shows to present to their peers, teachers and families in the Clarissa Farr Theatre.

Despite the pressure of GCSE Mock Examinations, the Year 11s have worked diligently on their creations, adapting scenes from Grease (Clapham South), The Lion King (Hartley), High School Musical (Clapham North) and Peter Pan (Waller).

The Houses started auditions just before the Christmas holiday, inviting everyone from Year 8-11 to come and try out for lead roles. When a new child joins Stamp, she is also assigned an attached Middle School House, and so inter-house competitions such as this one are a brilliant opportunity for them to get to know their future Houses.

Every element of the piece was expected to be student-led, be it performance, costume and make-up design, or operating the sound and lighting desks, and providing vital support backstage. It was clear to see that all areas were contributed to enthusiastically, with some stand-out performances from every aspect of each production. The Year 11 directors managed beautifully, and gained incredible experience of the reality of organising large groups of people and working on a creative project with both a tight deadline and a budget.

After a hectic final week of rehearsals, in which girls were required to sacrifice much of their free time, the stage was graced with four outstanding performances.

 

The acclaimed West End star Lindsey Wise adjudicated the competition, awarding individual trophies to various note-worthy performers. Lindsey has had a vibrant career in the West End, performing in numerous stunning shows, as well as founding West End Masterclass – a Musical Theatre School dedicated to mentoring gifted performers.

Alongside Lindsey, Director of Drama Alison Kelley acknowledged a few of the special moments of the afternoon. From surprise acrobatics in almost every piece, the brilliant make-up by Eleanor Grant in The Lion King, to the side-splitting comedy in Peter Pan, the event was bursting with entertainment.

 

Naturally, it was close between all four houses, but ultimately the girls of Clapham North were crowned the overall winners. This was a slick and polished piece, superbly directed by Gabby Mazzoni (Year 11). This upbeat adaptation of High School Musical made brilliant use of their huge cast, giving a wide range of roles to all year groups. Leanne Tyme’s choreography of large ensemble dance numbers had the whole audience clapping and cheering. The fantastic choreography and vocal performances pushed this production into the lead, and so Clapham North took away the prestigious trophy for the third year in a row.

 “Congratulations to the overall winners ‘North’ who took the House Performing Arts trophy 2016, for the third year running, for the best overall piece – directed by Gabby Mazzoni”  – Alison Kelley

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It was an enjoyable evening all round, and a testament to the dedication of all the girls who were involved, particularly the directors, who were each awarded a silver gift bag of goodies for their hard work.

Results

• Winner: Clapham North with High School Musical, directed by Gabby Mazzoni
• Best Choreography: Leanne Tyme, High School Musical
• Best Music: Eleanor Burrows, Peter Pan
• Best Director: Rachel Poppleton, Peter Pan

Best Performance Awards:

• The Lion King
  Alice Baker (Young Simba)
  Scarlet Gerry-Churchhouse (Young Nala)
  Eleanor Grant (Opening Solo)

• Grease
  Amna Alireza (Rizzo)
  Tomike Olukanni (Opening Solo)

• High School Musical
  Sophie Dutton (Ms. Darbus)

• Peter Pan
  Kiara Lambrias (Captain Hook)