Blag Summer school gives students a taste of what its like to work in the Theatre

- Posted on: 23 May 2017

Each Summer Blag Youth Theatre in Rickmansworth gather in Chorleywood to rehearse a orginal musical Production.

The Summer Project was born twenty years ago when Richard and Lynn Beaumont decided they wanted to give local children an opportunity to experience what it was like to work in the theatre, so from casting to Stage in just two weeks. These days shows have the luxury of rehearsing for several weeks but twenty years ago it was usual to rehearse for just two weeks!

Each year the production is carefully mapped out to ensure all children get a chance to shine, each child gets a speaking part and is allocated a minimum of six lines plus at least 5 or 6 company songs.

With a tight schedule and only 8 hours each day the children work hard to perfect dances, scenes and songs. Several of the staff are ex pupils who have gone through Drama school and come back to head up the Summer School.

The Summer project gives children the perfect creative outlet, it is a fantastic way to boost a child's confidence and for them to make friends outside their school circle.

Each production has principal parts as well as subsidary parts and everyone gets a chance to try out. 'The-Lets-See-What-We-Can-Do-Day' is a time for children to show the team what they can do! It is always amazing how even the 8 year olds want to audition for main parts!!!

The afternoon is three hours long and is split into singing auditions, dancing and acting. It is a great opportunity for the children to get to know each other before the two week project.

On the Project!

Each day runs from 10am-6pm and includes tuck breaks and of course a lunch hour. The second week includes a dress rehearsal at the Hall before coaching the children over to the Elgiva on the Friday Morning for a Technical rehearsal in the Elgiva Theatre, Chesham. This is always an exciting time for all!

Over the last twenty years we have seen so many ex students go on to do extraordinary things, but one thing they all have in common is that they all agree that the Summer Project at Blag was one of their highlights of their school years each Summer.

Summer 2015