There was a standing ovation and not a dry eye in the house following Gurnard Primary School’s performance of Matilda The Musical at Medina Theatre last week.
Over the past 3 months, staff and pupils at Gurnard Primary School have been working with professional theatre directors, choreographers and musical directors from the Royal Shakespeare Company to produce a special edit of Matilda The Musical as their school play.
Gurnard Primary School was selected by the Royal Shakespeare Company and The Mayflower Theatre to become a Matilda Champion School as part of the musical’s new nationwide education programme, Change My Story. They are one of only 50 Matilda Champion Schools across the UK working on the two-year project.
Vanessa Hicks, Headteacher from Gurnard Primary School said:
“This has been a fantastic opportunity for our children and staff to work alongside professionals from the Royal Shakespeare Company and The Mayflower Theatre to create an amazing performance of Matilda the Musical. It was an absolutely breathtaking performance that had the audience spellbound all the way through and finished with an emotional standing ovation.
“It was fantastic to see the whole cast working together throughout the show supported by a very talented stage crew. The lead characters were awe-inspiring and the performance by our Matilda, 11-year-old Rhiannon Mackay-Blake, was truly exceptional. It was an unforgettable night for us all.
“We are now looking forward to working with other Island primary schools over the next year to share what we have learnt.”
Sara Scott, Head of Creative Learning, from The Mayflower Theatre, who came to watch the performance, said:
“The young people were outstanding and demonstrated a real love for the material and a passion for performance in their delivery. It was very moving to see the importance the work had been given in the school and the real commitment from pupils to taking part and giving of their best.
“We very much look forward to the next steps of this project and deepening our relationship between the school and The Mayflower Theatre.”
Bravo! Stars of the future in the making here on the IoW !