WE ROCKED YOU! HNC’S PERFORMING ARTS DEPARTMENT HOST SPECTACULAR END OF YEAR MUSICAL, WE WILL ROCK YOU
25.06.2024HNC’s Musical Theatre students return from the weekend triumphant, having wowed the audiences with the weekend’s performances of the end of year College musical, We Will Rock You, in the College’s state of the art theatre, The Boilerhouse.
Students from Years 12 and 13 have been working on the production of We Will Rock You throughout the year, and this weekend took to the stage with four show-stopping performances of the popular musical. Packed full of hits from Queen’s musical back catalogue, the show – which was adapted from the original Broadway production – follows two young rebels as they try to restore rock n’ roll in a post-apocalyptic world. The story centres around Galileo (played by Mollie S) and Scaramouche (played by Abigail B) who, unknown to them, are the prophesised saviours of live music. They must fight against the Killer Queen (played by Lexian H), a ruthless businesswoman, who along with her cronies, are responsible for the suppression of live music.
The run of shows commenced with Friday afternoon’s matinee performance, which was attended by two of our local schools, All Saints Catholic College and King James’ School. After the show, our special guests were invited to meet and greet the cast and find out more about studying for a qualification in Performing Arts at HNC. Following a successful matinee, the rest of the weekend saw three high energy performances to sell-out audiences. Opening with ‘Innuendo’ and closing with ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, this stellar version of We Will Rock You was supported by HNC’s own band, Jonathan W (Piano), Iris S and Thomas W (guitar), James D (Bass), Marlenys O (Drums) and Nicholas T (Reed), with stand-out renditions of Somebody to Love, Who Wants to Live Forever and We Will Rock You, with the latter song encouraging the audience to clap and stamp along with the performers.
The professionally produced show was directed and choreographed by subject specialists Mark Johnson and Cat John, and supported by Rhianydd Beaumont and Thom Meredith (Vocal Coaches), James Dash (Musical Director), David Cross (Lighting Design and Head Technician) and Will Dash (Sound Engineer). As well as performing in the show, the cast, supported by Drama teacher Emma Laws, were also instrumental in delivering the backstage elements to the show, from the set design and creation to the marketing and ticket sales, meaning that the group experienced all facets of delivering a professional stage show, preparing them for a career in the industry beyond HNC.
Mark Johnson, show director and Teacher of Musical Theatre, comments “What a show! I am so incredibly proud of our students and our team who have put together a genuinely brilliant production of We Will Rock You. Their hard work over the past academic year has come to fruition and the cast put on a performance that wouldn’t be out of place in a West End show. Our performers have worked hard to become their best selves on stage and through this hard work, commitment, motivation and collaboration have delivered a show-stopping round of performances. What a treat for our audience and for our partner schools who joined us for Friday’s matinee performance”.
Cat John, show choreographer and Teacher of Dance and Musical Theatre adds “I am delighted that our end of year musical was so well received by our guests – with one loudly proclaiming that the performance was “incredible!”. Our performers – some of whom only joined the College 9 month ago as Year 12s – have been practising day and night to ensure that the numbers in the musical were pitch perfect, and every single performer can be proud of the part they played in the show. I am in no doubt that our very talented group of dancers, actors, singers and musicians have long and illustrious careers in the industry ahead of them”
You can view a gallery of images from the night below. To view the full show programme, including a full list of the cast, please click here.
In year 10 and keen to pursue a career in the Performing Arts? Join us on Wednesday 10 July for our Open Event to get a head start on your post-16 planning. Find out more here.
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