Secondary
Theatre Openers
WHAT’S ON IN AUTUMN 2022
This term’s Theatre Openers programme includes a choice of 6 top shows and the chance to attend an enriching 90-minute Insight Workshop in conjunction with 2 performances priced at £150 per group which will shortly be announced.
Tickets = £10 per ticket (staff & students) except for Wicked which is priced at £150 per school class.
Applications for The Lion King close on 13 September
Applications for all other shows close on 29 September
The Lion King
20 September (7.30) & 21 September (2.30pm) at Lyceum Theatre
Disney’s award-winning musical THE LION KING explodes with glorious colours, stunning effects and enchanting music. It follows the powerful story of Simba as he journeys from wide-eyed cub to his destined role as King of the Pridelands.
Terrible Thames
13 October (1.45pm) at Tower Bridge Quay
Tremble in terror at the Tower! Sizzle at the Savoy! Give Cleopatra the needle! Be washed away at Westminster! Lose yourself in Lambeth! Get gobsmacked by the Globe! Hold onto your head at London Bridge and escape from Execution Dock!
Take a dive with Horrible Histories into the stories of King Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, Julius Caesar, Queen Boudicca, Jack the Ripper and Captain Kidd, in this history of the Thames with the nasty bits left in!
& Juliet
11 November (2.30pm), 18 November (2.30pm) at Shaftesbury Theatre
Romeo who?! With her bags packed and ready to escape Verona, Juliet recovers from heartbreak in the best way possible… by dancing the night away with her best friends by her side! But when the sparkle fades, the confetti falls and reality catches up, it’s clear that Juliet needs to face her past in order to find her future. Can she reclaim a story that has been written in the stars? Is there really life after Romeo…or could he be worth one more try?
Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby
20 October (7.30pm), 3 November (7.30pm) at The Camden Garrison
A new dance theatre event, delving into the backstory of Tommy Shelby and the Peaky Blinders, written by the creator of the global hit television series.
Opening in the trenches of Flanders, a personal story unfolds in post-war industrial Birmingham as the Shelby family navigate the decisions that determine their fate and Tommy is intoxicated by mysterious newcomer, Grace.
Dazzling, athletic dance and stunning dramatization, with an iconic eclectic Peaky soundtrack, and a live on-stage band. Book tickets now: By Order of the Peaky Blinders.
To Kill a Mockingbird
9 November (2.30pm) at Gielgud Theatre
Academy Award winner Aaron Sorkin adapts Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning literary landmark in this universally acclaimed production, which has become the most successful American play ever. This unflinching dissection of justice and tolerance remains as relevant today as it was when Lee’s novel was published 60 years ago.
Wicked
16 November (2.30pm), 24 November (7.30pm) at Apollo Victoria Theatre
Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, Wicked imagines a beguiling backstory to the lives of L. Frank Baum’s beloved characters, and reveals the magic that shaped the destinies of two unlikely friends on their remarkable journey to becoming Glinda The Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
Featuring the iconic Edexcel GCSE music song Defying Gravity!
Mousetrap Insight sessions
To deepen and enrich your students’ theatregoing experience, we run special Insight sessions in conjunction with at least 2 shows per term. These expert-led sessions give students the opportunity to get a deeper insight into the making of the production they see, and to get a hands-on taste of some of the skills required to put on and/or perform in the show. This year our insight sessions are in conjunction with Peaky Blinders and To Kill A Mockingbird.
Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby
Date TBC
To Kill a Mockingbird
Wednesday 9 November
These photos give you a taste of some of things students have explored over the years..
Catch me if you can!
Students tried their hand at circus skills before watching a performance of Cirque de Soleil’s mind-blowing spectacle, Totem!
Fighting talk!
Frantic Assembly ran an empowering Insight Session for 30 students from Forest Hill School before a performance of their brilliant show, Fatherland.
“The boys headed into the Frantic Assembly workshop with little experience of physical theatre and emerged having created singular pieces that captured anger, ambivalence, tenderness, affection, equanimity.....it was genuinely moving and a source of great pride to see how much could be achieved in two hours. This workshop raised the bar and has informed these boys’ practice and understanding of what theatre can do and how they can be part of it.”
Nice moves!
Students learnt some classic dance moves and routines in an Insight Session led by members of the Aladdin cast, before enjoying a performance of the show.
Mind your step!
Les Enfants Terribles delivered an engaging and empowering Insight Session for students before a performance their gripping play, The Trench.
Write on!
Students got an insight into the writing process before a performance of Simon Stephens’s acclaimed 2017 production of Chekhov’s The Seagull.
“It was an invaluable experience from which our students will take lots of ideas for devising their final exam piece.”