Bobmore Lane, Marlow, Buckinghamshire SL7 1JE
Telephone - 01628 483 752
Company Registration No.07690054

Peter Pan Wows Audiences

Mr Ross is delighted to write about the phenomenal success of the music production of Peter Pan.

“We have held many successful productions and I do not have a favourite one as all have their special place and showcase the amazing talent, we have at Great Marlow School. This one, however, has been far and away been the most emotional journey of them all. In September, I decided that we should pursue the Peter Pan Project, which has been on hold for almost two years. I was confident we could get it up and running, but from the word go I was aware that we were in a pandemic, but we as a team were determined to give it a go and see where it would take us.

The first step was to audition, as many of the original students had grown too old for the role. This was the first step: were we going to get enough interest? We certainly did but it was an extremely young cast, who were very inexperienced in treading the boards. However, we had our Year 7s, who were cast for Peter Pan (now Year 9) and some Year 10s who were Year 8s when we first started.

Rehearsals started and the students despite being young were so committed and enthusiastic, they attended rehearsals and I could see that we had a talented, if lively, cast and they were rehearsing on stage without scripts, showing they were investing time at home to be word perfect. Along the way more students joined.

We also had a terrific backstage crew, who helped make props; and a technical crew skillfully led by Mr Shaw.

I was hit by a mild Covid, which put me out of operation for the Saturday rehearsal and I was very grateful to Mrs Sharp, Mr Shaw and Mrs Samuel for continuing with the rehearsal, which I was able to join via Teams.

There was one full day of rehearsals on the Monday, sadly one pirate Zach who had been so enthusiastic and showed great talent had an illness and was unable to be in the show (I have seen enough to hope he will audition for our next production).  Joel stepped up, took on a bigger role and handled the pressure of this very well.

Whilst the show looked good, always in the back of my head even with 24 hours to go was, ‘Are we going to have to cancel?’ I have to say given the work by the young cast and all the work backstage this would have been a horrible decision to make. I also considered that despite all the issues both evening shows were sold out: this showed that people were keen to see the show.

Tuesday 7th December was the day of the show. All cast members reported for duty, and we managed to complete three shows. Two to primary schools, we are extremely grateful for their support and understanding, especially as we could have cancelled at the very last minute.

The show was outstanding, and this cast managed to wow all three audiences. I was tired just watching them, how did they manage to keep their energy levels up?

Wednesday 8th December

Unfortunately, we did have a couple of cast members who were ill, as was the musical director, but thanks to resilience and determination we went ahead. You have to bear in mind that parents and carers chose which day to go, and it was important that this cast performed to their family if at all possible.

They did and were brilliant.

Whenever I direct a show, I always want it to be high quality and not just a good attempt, which means encouraging students to reach their true potential, from the comments we have had it was clear that everyone was grateful for the escapism and humour of the show. Everyone was tremendously proud of the students.

The cast was very emotional at the end of each show, and I think this was a release of emotion: all the worry and pressure of whether their work would get shown was behind them.

I have so many people to thank that I won’t in case I miss someone out. The main team comprising Mr Shaw, Mrs Sharp and Mrs Samuel were there from the start. Sadly, both Mrs Sharp and MrsSamuel were ill and missed the shows, I know they were incredibly upset at this but were able to see the show via Teams.  Staff at GMS stepped up and made sure the show ran smoothly, both backstage and on the stage.

I am so incredibly proud of everyone involved in this production and I know we are in a strong position with new actors coming forward. They already want to know what is next, I said ‘Rest for a year!’ Also, the staff, who make this possible, need a rest, too.

For three days we forgot the troubles of the year and gave the audience an escape into a theatrical world.

Please see some testimonies from actors, a parent and an emotional Mrs. Sharp

For me personally, I can now close this chapter on Peter Pan; I feel happy that this particular project has flown.  I look forward to the next production.”

GMS are tremendously proud of Mr Ross, his team and all the actors for the amazing show they performed. Well done to everyone.

TESTIMONIALS

“It was a pleasure to work with such a talented cast and I made loads of close friends; I enjoyed seeing them every rehearsal. We all got on well and the shows at the end made the experience even better. Thanks sir. Liam (Peter Pan)

I would say, the Peter Pan production has been one of the best things I’ve ever done in school. Despite all the challenges we faced, we were able to put on 4 shows, which all were amazing and it was an amazing way to end 2021. Hamish Sharp( Mr Darling and Smee)

I loved being in the show because I have always loved acting. It is a dream come true to be part of the cast for Peter Pan Ava Cryer (Pirate)

It was an amazing experience being part of Peter Pan: it couldn’t have gone any better and the cast was amazing to work with. Imogen Sharp (Tinkerbell)

Firstly, I left the stage on Wednesday night crying, everyone kept asking me why I was crying and my answer to them was ‘I don’t know’ but now I do know: I fell in love with everyone. The whole production was an experience I will never forget. The nerves off stage were sickly but the moment I stepped on stage that all changed. Even when some amazing actors and actresses went off ill my heart sank because I couldn’t leave the stage without that smile that we had all done it! Mr Ross changes that as soon as he took his place on stage.

I have loved drama since Year 7 and Mr Ross has been my teacher from the first time I took my first steps into his drama room.

Peter Pan has changed my confidence; it was a show I will never forget. Whenever there was an ‘impossible’ Mr Ross made it ‘possible’ and Peter Pan showed that!

I have loved drama but not as much as I have this past few months. I  first auditioned in Year 7, as nervous as can be, Covid stopped that from happening. Year 9! In Year 9 I re-auditioned for Peter Pan, and my confidence has grown over two years of drama in the classroom. I loved Peter Pan  Florence Owen (Maid and Lost Boy)

I would like to say that I met so many new people and made a lot of friends during the production and I am really happy that I made people laugh. Sarah Head (Nana)

Dear Mr. Ross,
Peter Pan was such an amazing experience but my favourite part of it all was the people. Everyone involved was so friendly and welcoming. I am so looking forward to seeing them again once out of isolation. Thank you. Lois Peek (Lost Boy, Twin)

Working on the production of Peter Pan was probably the best choice I’ve made in a while, it was a really great experience and I hope to do some more production work in the future. It was great meeting new people and making new friends through the journey of backstage and prop making :) Phoebe Coombs (Backstage Crew)

Thanks again for producing such a fabulous show and giving the children the opportunity to get involved and create such precious memories. 😊 A parent of the cast.

Dear all, I watched you all yesterday afternoon and this evening, you were all so amazing! I cried my eyes out as I watched because I’ve seen your journey from day 1 auditions to your confidence and professionalism on stage. Give yourselves a pat on the back. I am so proud of you all and can’t wait to celebrate with you next week at the pantomime. Sleep well tonight and treasure the memories you’ve made. Mrs Sharp 💫( Backstage Manager and any job that needed doing)!

Peter Pan was an amazing experience for all of the cast, it allowed us to make friends with people we probably would have never spoken to before. Everyone worked so hard and we produced a performance that was enjoyed by all of the audience. I would definitely recommend that students participate in the next play as it brought so many cast mates closer together and I have made some of the best friends that I have made in years. Although being in a play is hard work it is all worth it in the end and the majority of the cast was in tears on our final performance, as we enjoyed performing so much. Sharing such an exciting, nerve-wracking and exhilarating experience with other people was the highlight of the production for me, along with the sensation of admiration that you helped to build such an amazing show! Antonia Hay (Wendy)

I loved being part of the team and I have learnt lots of new skills to do with the technical aspect of putting on a production. Thank you for the opportunity.  Jamie Tennant (Tech)

 

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