Summer nights in Angmering a rousing success

About 50 students, aged between 14 and 18, took part in The Angmering School’s end-of-year production of the smash hit musical, Grease.

Vicky Scales, head of drama, came up with the idea to put on the summer spectacular.

Mrs Scales explained that throughout the year there had been several large-scale productions in the school, but nothing that helped to unite students from right across the upper year groups.

She wanted the show to be something extra-special for this year’s leavers to remember.

“I felt the year-13 drama students performing their last exam piece at Christmas wasn’t enough – it seemed a crime to let them finish the year without a big show, as they are all so talented.

“Equally, the year-11s and 12s do their last performances in March and April, so for the leavers in this year it was important to me that they had something big to remember. Well, to say it was big would be an understatement,” she admitted.

After numerous auditions, singing lessons, dance and acting rehearsals, technical difficulties and tricky costume fitting, the cast eventually made show week.

Mrs Scales added: “What a show! The students rose to the professional levels I had drummed into them over the past ten weeks and pulled off four stunning performances.”

Jo Hodson-Prior, head of dance, who worked with the students on their dance rehearsals, said: “Throughout the entire process I was impressed by the level of professionalism from the cast and the desire to make the show a success.

“The principal characters were so dedicated to the dance numbers and used their own time ‘to rehearse and refine the movement vocabulary’.

“There was a real energy and enthusiasm about the choreography and this carried through to the stunning performances.”

Many of the cast are now eagerly awaiting their GCSE and A-level results, which will be announced next month.