Archive for August, 2018

The Little Shop of Horrors – Regents Park Theatre – Review

Thursday, August 30th, 2018

The Little Shop of Horrors – Regents Park Theatre

If you haven’t yet experienced the pure magic and joy of the Open-Air Theatre in London’s Regents Park, I cannot recommend the experience highly enough. I first went to Regent’s Park Open-Air Theatre, when I was at secondary school, to see a very memorable production of ‘A Midsummer Nights Dream,’ with my wonderfully enthusiastic English teacher, who really valued theatre and live performance.

I’ve been back several times over the years to see a few productions, including Arthur Miller’s, ‘The Crucible,’ which is one of my favourite plays. I always find the experience magical and inspiring. The outdoor auditorium is beautifully decorated with fairy lights in the trees and the amphitheatre itself, is magnificent. It doesn’t matter where you sit, as every seat has a great view of the stage. If you are planning a visit, you might want to consider bringing a blanket and a rain coat, as let’s face it, the British weather can be a little unpredictable!

On Saturday 25th August 2018, I went to Regents Park to see, ‘Little Shop of Horrors.’

The film, directed by Frank Oz, was released in 1986 and described as a rock musical comedy horror movie. The film is an adaptation of the off-Broadway show composed by Alan Menken. The story revolves around Seymour, a geeky florist shop worker who finds out his plant, Audrey 2, can speak. The 1986 film stars Rick Moranis, who plays Seymour and Steve Martin plays the infamous dentist.

The first thing I noticed as I entered the Regents Park theatre on Saturday, was the set. It was fantastic, and it set the tone of the whole evening. The cast were all extremely talented and they worked brilliantly as an ensemble of 16 actors, playing all the roles. Audrey 2, played by Vicky Vox, was outstanding. The idea of bringing the plant to life, to make her a character that can not only speak and sing but move, was genius. This production was slick, entertaining and so much fun. I can’t wait to see what’s on offer next summer, I’ll be back!

I also feel inspired and excited about our drama classes this autumn term.  If your child is age 4-16 years and would like the opportunity to try one of our classes for FREE we are offering trial sessions this September.  Please get in touch to book a session.

Faye

The Greatest Showman Summer Workshop 2018

Tuesday, August 28th, 2018

The Greatest Showman Workshop 2018 – Review

The Spotlights summer schools 2018 in West Wickham and Orpington for students aged 7 to 16 were absolutely brilliant!

This summer workshop was open to anyone aged 7 to 16. You might be an experienced performer, or you may be coming to a theatre school for the first time. What’s guaranteed is that you’ll have fun, learn new skills and make new friends.

At our summer schools this year, we created four productions of ‘The Greatest Showman’ with over 90 students, in one week!

The excitement and energy that the children brought in every day and their commitment to the projects, made it a wonderful experience for everyone involved. With three specialist teachers running the project; a director, choreographer and a musical director, the children received expert tuition and they worked really hard to learn and perfect the material, in a short space of time.

All of the children were familiar with the material before the first day of rehearsals and they were eager to learn what their version of ‘The Greatest Showman’ would look like by the end of the week.

After the auditions on day one, the parts were allocated and the hard work really begun in rehearsals. By the end of day three, the scenes were blocked, the dances were set and the songs had been staged. Day four is when it all comes together. It’s a little bit completing a huge jigsaw puzzle and it’s so exciting when all of the pieces start to fit together. It’s a very satisfying feeling.

Day five is show day!

After the rehearsals and run throughs in the morning, it’s time to get into costume and for the audience to arrive. The atmosphere backstage was full of fun and excitement. As ever, the children performed brilliantly and the Spotlights teachers were so proud of their achievements.

We are so looking forward to seeing many of our summer school graduates at our classes this September 2018.

If you’d like your child to try a performing arts activity this September please get in touch and ask about the next date for a FREE trial class.