See ‘Cabaret’ as it has never been seen before. Enter the murky world of pre-war Berlin. Violence stalks the streets as we welcome you to the Kit Kat Klub, where literally anything goes. ‘Cabaret’ tells the story of strip tease artist and singer Sally Bowles and her lightning affair with ‘wannabe’ novelist Clifford in the dark and murky world of Berlin during the rise of Fascism. Staged in a startling landscape of doorways and passages, the cast and company of ‘Cabaret’ take you into the labyrinthine bye-ways of the human psyche, where, at the core, lurks the beast. And the beast has some great songs ……
Performances at 7.30pm on 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th December
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“… a helter-skelter portrait of a crazy world in which justice turns into a form of show business and in which even a savage shooting is something to be marketed” - The Guardian
“con men, pervy psychiatrists, bent cops, dodgy ministers, white trash nymphos et al are freed to become a garish, disgracefully amusing gallery of independent life” - The Independent
“a world of small town bigotry, suburban excess, hootenanny hot-gospelling and sexual licentiousness in a non-stop staging of scenery on castor wheels and flying television screens” - Whatsonstage
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Helena Wilson directs a small cast in an entirely student-led production of Simon Stephens' contemporary play 'Punk Rock':
“Everything good human beings ever make is built on something monstrous. Nothing lasts. We certainly won’t.” In the library of a grammar school, a group of Sixth-Formers are preparing for their mock A-Levels while navigating the pressures of teenage life. They are educated and aspirational young people but step-by-step, the dislocation, disjunction and latent aggression is revealed.
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Gangs roam. Hatred feeds on fear and suspicion. Cultures clash and racial tension boils like magma beneath the concrete streets. Nowhere is safe. And yet, amidst the garbage and the burnt-out cars, love blossoms. Short-lived love.
Review/s:
"We knew of Hills Road's reputation for academic acheivement but we realise now that the College's insistence that students take enrichment courses alongside their studies produces well-rounded young adults better equipped for the outside world"
"That the students themselves did the bulk of the production work is highly impressive in a sixth form college. The lighting, the costumes, the brilliant all-student orchestra (who deserve a review themselves) were all student-led. Wonderful. I teach in an independent school where I have a professionally trained stage manager and a large budget and I would be proud to have achieved what you did, with infinitely more money and resources. The small sum which you have as a budget is an investment which reaps infinite dividends for the College. The show is a unique opportunity for the Drama, Dance and Music Departments to work closely together to provide enrichment for all students and for it to be threatened makes no economic sense at all. The team-building and general learning which such a show gives develops skills which all the students will be able to use in later lives. It is Learning in the best and widest sense. The tiny acorn of investment leads to a great oak tree of Learning and Achievement"
"My family and I were SO impressed with the standard of the whole production and the outstanding quality of the performers.
The students didn't really know each other and all came from different schools yet to see them perform as if they had been working together for years was admirable, and something which also comes from the college, your direction and your confidence in the students. It showed and their pride came through too… It was far beyond what I expected from a school production and students of their age."
"We are writing to congratulate everyone involved, from the performers, musicians, production team right through to the Front of House team, in the fantastic recent production of ‘West Side Story’. We are avid theatre goers (particularly of musicals) but this was our first experience of a Hills Road Sixth Form production, and wow, we were thoroughly impressed”.
“It is only by peoples’ generosity with both their time and talents that such significant, expansive, unforgettable experiences occur for the benefit of those participating students."
“I have been involved in music virtually all my life and have been an opera singer for nearly 25 years and as such have performed in many theatres throughout the world. In all that time I have experienced varying standards from the sublime to the ridiculous! However, your production fits into the first category!!”
“We felt the use of limited space was imaginative and inventive. The roaming columns that were moved by the cast to create new scenes both inside and outside was fabulous! One minute we saw a balcony, the next a dress shop, then a street scene and so on. We particularly liked that the cast was used to do this as opposed stage hands as it added to the sense of cohesion."
Year 12 Curricular Production
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Welcome to our Dance showcase Evolving.... This performance will include work choreographed by the students themselves, as well as group pieces, one of which was created by the amazing Joss Arnott. The stimulus for the work was the idea of evolution and the many ways we see this idea of progression in every day life. In addition we will be sharing some of our other work based on professional pieces, such as West Side Story and The Car Man.
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‘The Lesson’ is a new work, devised by the cast which examines both what and how we learn as well as the experience of being in the classroom. Veering between moments of outrageous comedy and emotional poignancy, ‘The Lesson’ reminds us of the social minefield of education as well as the joy of learning. An immersive and interactive performance this production promises to engage the audience intellectually and bodily!
Review/s:
"I wanted to congratulate you and all the students involved both crew & cast for 'The Lesson' that my husband & I attended yesterday evening. We have never attended a performance quite like this before and it stretched me as a member of the audience. I am glad that we got the opportunity to attend. Thank you for all the efforts that you put in to making this event happen."
"The Lesson was fantastic – too close a reminder of some classes early in my teaching career! Wonderful empathy and insight portrayed into classroom life – I loved it, laughed and was deeply moved – and as ever awed by your talents!"
