Drama experiences for Argoed High School students

Earlier this month, Argoed High School's drama department organised a trip to London for students, taking in two West End shows, Hamilton and Frozen, as well as being treated to a backstage tour of the National Theatre.

Dressing up in style for The Great Gatsby immersive show in Mold.

The delights of summer outdoor theatre have also been sampled with a visit to Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre to watch a performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream in the round, and recently the students took part in Theatr Clwyd's hit immersive show, The Great Gatsby, where they dressed up and interacted with the cast.

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Last autumn, a cast of more than 60 drama students from Year 7 through to 11 delivered a spectacular musical show, Matilda The Musical, to packed audiences totalling over 600 people during its five day run, including 200 pupils from local primary schools. An extra Saturday show was put on after all the tickets sold out in under 12 hours of being released.

A scene from Matilda.

The show received glowing reviews on Facebook, and Claire Homard, chief officer for Education, who attended one of the performances, said it had been "an absolute delight watching the Argoed's performance of Matilda" and "what a talented group of young people you (the Argoed) have!"

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It was after gaining confidence from appearing in Matilda at school that good friends Niamh Howes-Patterson and Emily Baines decided to audition for the spectacular musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat by Tip Top Productions at Theatr Clwyd. The girls, who said their passion for performing had been ignited by the school play, were both successful and performed in three productions of the show in the spring.

Watching A Midsummer Night’s Dream open air performance at Chester’s Grosvenor Park.

In March, a group of 30 GCSE drama students and Year 11 students, who had been part of the cast of Matilda, went on a trip of a lifetime to New York, spending five days and four nights in the city that never sleeps. As well as experiencing the sights and sounds of this vibrant city, the students went to see the superb Moulin Rouge on Broadway.

To conclude this whirlwind year, the expressive arts department put on a summer concert including singing, acting and instrumental performances for family and friends.

The students on the New York Trip.

Stephanie Pritchard, head of expressive arts, organised all the trips and accompanied the students. She said: "It has certainly been a busy year, but a truly magical one too. We have immensely talented students here who have embraced everything that has been asked of them, putting in hours of rehearsals for our brilliant show, Matilda, and for the end of year finale concert.

"It has been wonderful to see members of our department go on to perform in shows at Theatr Clwyd and beyond, and to see how students have grown and come to life through being involved with drama.

The group of students in London for their theatre trip.

"I cannot praise the students enough for their impeccable and mature behaviour on all the trips, they have been a joy to take, and we will all remember these experiences fondly.

"I wish all our Year 11expressive arts students every happiness for the next stage of their lives, and hope that they continue to enjoy drama, and everything they have learned along the way, in the future. I would also like to thank all the staff who have supported me and worked tirelessly to bring all our plans to fruition."