The Prep and Senior Performing Arts departments at Clayesmore are vibrant, ambitious and exciting, providing pupils with an exceptional range of opportunities to perform, create, collaborate and develop confidence through the performing arts.
At the heart of our programme is our designated professional theatre, situated on the Clayesmore grounds. This provides pupils with an authentic theatre experience and allows them to develop an understanding of what it is like to work within a professional performing arts environment.
A Professional Theatre Experience
Our theatre is much more than simply a space in which pupils perform. It provides a professional environment with stage lighting, professional sound equipment, media and projection facilities, backstage areas and technical support. Pupils have the opportunity to experience many of the different roles involved in bringing a production to life, both on and off stage.
A professional theatre environment involves an enormous amount of teamwork. Alongside the performers are directors, musical directors, choreographers, lighting technicians, sound technicians, stage managers, costume and make-up teams, backstage crew and front-of-house staff. Our pupils are therefore encouraged to understand that a successful production is created through the contribution of an entire team.
Working in this environment enables pupils to develop valuable skills in communication, leadership, organisation, resilience, creativity, teamwork and problem-solving, while also gaining confidence in front of an audience.
The theatre also gives pupils the opportunity to experience the excitement of technical rehearsals, dress rehearsals, lighting states, sound checks, microphones, stage entrances, scene changes and live performance. For many pupils, performing on a professional-style stage in front of a large audience is an incredibly memorable and formative experience.
The Prep School has a strong tradition of ambitious and colourful musical productions, involving pupils across the school and giving children the opportunity to perform in a professional theatre environment.
One of our recent major productions was Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, performed by pupils in Years 6–8.
This was a particularly vibrant and energetic production, with a cast of approximately 50 pupils. The production brought together singing, acting, choreography, costume, staging, lighting and sound to create a spectacular theatrical experience.
The colourful nature of Joseph provided pupils with the opportunity to explore a wide range of musical and theatrical styles, from the energetic opening numbers through to the more dramatic and emotional moments of the story. The production was filled with bold colour, imaginative costumes, ensemble singing, choreography and lively staging, creating a visually exciting experience for both performers and audiences.
Pupils developed their skills through an extended rehearsal process in LEX, learning individual musical parts while also understanding the importance of working as an ensemble. They had to listen carefully to one another, respond to musical direction, learn choreography, remember stage positions and develop confidence in delivering their characters.
The production culminated in performances to large, enthusiastic audiences, giving pupils the enormous satisfaction of seeing their months of preparation come together on stage.
For many of our younger performers, this is their first experience of taking part in a large-scale musical theatre production, and it provides an invaluable introduction to the discipline, commitment and excitement of live performance.
The Senior School’s performing arts programme provides pupils with opportunities to take on increasingly challenging and sophisticated theatrical work.
The Senior School recently staged Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, involving pupils from Years 9–13.
This was a significantly more mature and demanding production, allowing our older pupils to explore dark musical theatre, characterisation, dramatic storytelling and complex musical material.
Sweeney Todd, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, is a dramatic musical centred around the barber Sweeney Todd and his return to Victorian London seeking revenge. The production explores themes of revenge, justice, obsession, ambition and morality, and its distinctive musical score presents considerable challenges for young performers.
The production required pupils to develop sophisticated acting skills alongside demanding vocal and musical abilities. Characters needed to be carefully developed, with performers exploring motivation, relationships and the darker psychological aspects of the story.
The atmosphere of the production was enhanced enormously by the professional theatre environment. Lighting, sound, staging, costumes and media were used to create the distinctive and atmospheric world of Victorian London.
For pupils involved, the production was an opportunity to experience a much more advanced level of musical theatre, requiring commitment, discipline, independent preparation and a high degree of collaboration.
With pupils from Years 9–13 working together, the production also provided an excellent opportunity for older pupils to develop leadership skills and for younger members of the cast to learn from more experienced performers.
Alongside our large-scale productions, LAMDA (London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art) tuition is offered throughout the school.
LAMDA provides pupils with the opportunity to develop their skills in speech and drama, acting, communication and musical theatre singing, with pupils working towards recognised examinations.
Pupils are encouraged to develop a strong understanding of voice, diction, articulation, projection, expression, characterisation and interpretation. They learn how to communicate meaningfully with an audience and how to use their voice and physical presence effectively.
LAMDA is particularly valuable because the skills developed extend far beyond the stage. Pupils become more confident speakers and communicators and develop the ability to present themselves clearly and confidently in front of others.
Across the school, multiple pupils undertake LAMDA examinations in Speech and Drama and Musical Theatre Singing, allowing them to work towards individual goals and receive recognition for their progress.
For some pupils, LAMDA becomes a pathway towards further study and performance; for others, it simply provides a supportive environment in which they can build confidence, overcome nerves and discover their own voice.
Our performing arts programme also gives pupils valuable experience of the many different aspects of putting on a professional production.
The Young Enterprise programme has played an important role in supporting the wider production experience. Pupils have been involved in selling tickets and developing products and refreshments for audiences to purchase during the interval.
This gives pupils the opportunity to see the commercial and organisational side of the performing arts industry. They develop practical skills in enterprise, marketing, customer service, budgeting, communication and sales, while contributing directly to the success of a major school production.
The experience reinforces an important message: a successful theatre production is not simply about what happens on stage. There is an entire organisation working behind the scenes to create the audience experience.
A Culture of Performance
Together, our productions, theatre opportunities and LAMDA programme create a strong culture of performance throughout Clayesmore.
Pupils are encouraged not only to perform but to understand the complete creative process. They experience the excitement of standing in the spotlight, the discipline of rehearsal, the responsibility of working as part of a cast, and the satisfaction of contributing to something much larger than themselves.
Whether performing in a large-scale musical, singing in an ensemble, acting in a dramatic production, working backstage, operating technical equipment, selling tickets through Young Enterprise or preparing for a LAMDA examination, pupils are given opportunities to find their voice, develop their confidence and discover their creativity.
The result is a performing arts programme that is inclusive, ambitious and genuinely exciting, providing pupils with experiences and memories that stay with them long after the final curtain.