Performers College Essex completes 2024 run of final year shows
Performers College Essex recently completed their run of graduate year Level 6 productions, in which the campus’ third-year students brought six shows to the stage – Rock Of Ages, the hit musical based on the iconic Sunset Strip in 1980s Hollywood, Stephen Sondheim fairytale classic Into The Woods, and four original revues titled Gluttony, Spark, Heterogeneity and Twisted Perception.
The productions showcased our graduating Level 6 Musical Theatre and Dance and Trinity Professional Diploma students, putting into practice the skills they’ve learned over the past three years of training. The shows took place in our purpose built theatre at the Essex campus, running from 11 April – 24 June 2024, with three performances per show, facilitated by our in-house Production team.
First up was Rock of Ages, the jukebox musical which showcases iconic rock songs against a backdrop of 1980s Hollywood club scene. Amy Louise Pemberton directed the show, and had this to say about the cast and crew:
“I am so very proud of this wonderful group of humans that I’ve had the pleasure to work with over the past few months. They have shown professionalism, passion, commitment, trust and above all teamwork, which is incredibly important in this industry. I champion them all and truly wish them nothing but the very best for the future”
The college moved on to Heterogeneity, based on the “concepts relating to the uniformity of a substance, process or image” featuring numbers like Bad Guy, Toxic and Jolene.
Next was Gluttony, a revue around the themes of greed and money, featuring numbers such as Rich Girls, It’s a Man’s World, and Let Them Eat Cake, under the creative direction of Leigh Ann-Stone and Lauren Gore.
Spark followed Gluttony, under the direction of Paul Saunders and Emma Tuck and followed the theme of moments of brilliance.
Twisted Perception featured the Trinity Professional Diploma students, According to creative directors David Anderson and Emma Caffrey:
“Twisted Perception is based on looking at the world differently. Life isn’t always what it seems, we urge you not to judge a book by its cover. Live in technicolor, don’t be constrained to the black and white, it’s not always right or wrong. Our aim is to challenge your perception, flip things upside down and make you think differently.”
Ending the run was Into the Woods, the 1987 Stephen Sondheim musical which incoporrates elemnts of classic Grimm fairytales such as Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Jack and the Beanstalk, and others. Director Kieran Jae reflected:
“I was very clear from the start that I wanted to make this show ensemble led and be inclusive to all the cast, to show their full ability and talents and I believe we have achieved that. I love the fact that the show has never been performed or created in this way before and that we as a team, have made something quite unique and special for this group of graduates. I am immensely proud of them all, and it has been an honour to help them grow and learn throughout this process.”
Congratulations to all our Level 6 BA (Hons) Musical Theatre and Dance and Trinity Professional Diploma students for their amazing performances.
To discover more about Performers College, including auditions and how to apply, contact us at [email protected] or book an Open Day on our Events page.
