Welcome to our 2021 Musical Theatre Season

This is a unique season for the department, and is the first time that any of these pieces have ever been staged at The BRIT School. The decision to explore three song-cycle style pieces, all of which were originally intended for small casts of 2- 4, has presented our students with broad technical, conceptual and practical demands and challenges, and yet these choices have enabled us to work safely and inventively which has contributed to a rich and rewarding educational process for our young people during a very challenging year. Singing restrictions have meant that we are performing in smaller casts of up to 13, and we have embraced alternative ways of rehearsing, often in our cold but lovely outdoor marquee space, which has been an invaluable space during this past year! Our year 13 students have also been working with our dance team on larger ensemble digital dance projects, which will be filmed in the coming weeks, to ensure that their ensemble dance technique is still developing alongside these smaller, song-cycle musical projects.

Following many weeks of development, research and practical delivery spent entirely online, we were thrilled to return to school in March 2021, and to be able to finally start to put months of remote planning on its feet in our studios. The way in which our students have remained focused, engaged, and dedicated during this unprecedented year has been deeply impressive, and we are immensely proud of every single student's journey throughout post 16.

As always, we are blessed to be working alongside the wonderful Production Art strand. This special collaboration between our two departments has never been stronger, with many PA students joining rehearsals remotely to enable us to maintain 'bubbles', and others in PA physically joining the MT bubbles for the past few months to support us in the rehearsal room. Production Arts run every aspect of the process from designing and operating the set, lighting, costume, sound, and cameras, as well as developing new skills in streaming this season. Of course we we will miss having you in our theatre experiencing these musicals in person, however we are fortunate to be able to use The Obie theatre to live stream the productions straight to the comfort of your living rooms!

I would like to say a huge thank you to the musical theatre team and visiting staff. Their endless creativity, adaptability, energy, hard work, sense of humour and commitment to the course and the students knows no limit! Thank you also to all parents, friends and family for your ongoing support and trust. To our year 13 students, thank you for all you have given the course and each other during this most unique time at The BRIT School. You have bright and exciting futures ahead of you, and we can’t wait to see all you will go on to achieve.

Rob Holt

Director of Musical Theatre