The Junior Drama Club takes place on Friday after school.
Kids in Control is a professional theatre company that values children and young people of all abilities and backgrounds without discrimination or, worst of all, auditions.
Bloomfield pupils have benefited enormously from our association with KIC. Under the directorship of artistic director David Calvert, Year 10 and Year 11 pupils are given the opportunity to sample what KIC is all about. Not only does participation in the taster workshops more than fulfil the assessment criteria for GCSE Speaking and Listening, it also helps to foster confidence in the girls as they work with David making decisions and performing improvisations.
‘Annie’
Nothing conveys the strength and depth of a school more than a musical and Bloomfield Collegiate was delighted to present “Annie”, to great acclaim, in November 2015.
In the depths of the 1930s American depression, “Annie” tells the extraordinary story of the fiery orphan girl who must live in a miserable orphanage. Bethan McClernon delivered a wonderful performance as the eponymous heroine, with a terrific balance of longing and wide-eyed positivity. Particularly enjoyable was her soaring rendition of the famous ballad “Tomorrow”.
With a scowling face and a gift for physical comedy, Esther Donald played the embittered Miss Hannigan, who has a tyrannical grip on the orphanage and is determined to keep Annie and the other girls in their place. An obvious highlight from the show was the incredibly cute orphans’ performance of “It’s a Hard Knock Life”.
The rags-to-riches tale follows Annie’s escape from the grubby orphanage to the excitement of New York City, finding a new home and family in billionaire Oliver Warbucks and his personal secretary, Grace Farrell. Ellie Alexander showed her incredible acting range as the industrialist’s cold heart melted with Annie’s infectious warmth. The developing relationship with the secretary, played with beautiful subtlety by Amy-Jane Welshman, was also adorable.
As they try to ruin Annie’s hope for the future, the comic slyness of Nadia Bell was a pitch-perfect performance as Rooster and Polly Jackson impressed as the hilarious partner in crime.
The convincing dance routines throughout the show by the entire cast were as spectacular as the imaginative and colourful set created by Bloomfield art students. The music was also performed superbly by the talented girls from the school.
Bloomfield Collegiate School’s production of “Annie”, with the large number of pupils and teachers involved, epitomises our ethos: excellence in a caring community. The audience were laughing, crying and laughing again. You can bet your bottom dollar they were singing along with the cast by the end of the show!
Mrs Luke, Mrs Burch, Mr Mulholland and Mrs McFerran thank each and every member of the cast and crew – we can’t wait to do it again!
School Productions
We have staged Joan Lingard’s ‘The File on Fraulein Berg’, a re-imagining of Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’, and Willy Russell’s ‘Our Day Out’, all to great acclaim. These productions involved large casts and crews and played to full audiences in the assembly hall. The level of excitement and the atmosphere in the hall was quite special. We were also delighted to bring to the big screen our feature-length movies: ‘The Demon Headmaster’ and ‘Julie Caesar’.
There are many opportunities for pupils to become involved through acting or joining the stage crew, art teams or the sound and lighting team.
Dramarama
Dramarama Performing Arts Academy offers pupils extra-curricular speech and drama. These classes take place on a Thursday during lunchtime and after school in our drama studio (G14).
As speech and drama teachers, working under the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA) curriculum, we offer our pupils the unique opportunity to have fun, perfect their performance skills and work towards building more confidence on the stage.
Additionally, we also provide the opportunity for students to take their examinations for speech and drama and acting at the end of the school’s winter and summer terms.
Each of the four Houses in Bloomfield competes at House Drama. This event is one which is widely enjoyed and encourages great competition. Each year the standard of the dramas improves as does the technical skills involved in their productions.