By Mrs Horton (Drama Teacher)

On Wednesday 4th February, our Years 9 to Upper Sixth  drama students swapped the classroom for the bright lights of the West End, travelling to London to see Stranger Things: The First Shadow. It’s safe to say the trip was a huge success, both onstage and off.

The production was nothing short of spectacular. The show offered a masterclass in storytelling, combining physical theatre, powerful ensemble work, innovative staging and jaw-dropping technical effects. For our drama students, it was an invaluable opportunity to see how performance, design, lighting, sound and movement come together at the highest professional level.

What was especially encouraging was how engaged the students were. Many were already analysing performances during the interval discussing characterisation, use of space, tension, and how suspense was built through sound and lighting. Others were inspired by the scale of the production, realising just how many creative careers exist within theatre beyond acting alone, making immediate links to their learning from our drama lessons back at school.

Trips like this remind us why live theatre is so important. It sparks imagination, challenges expectations and shows students what is possible when creativity, collaboration and hard work collide. Several students have since shared how motivated they feel to push themselves further in lessons, devising work and performances, exactly the outcome we hope for.