On Wednesday 22nd January, 30 year 9 students attended a Drama/Dance trip to the National Theatre on the South Bank. Here they experienced a backstage tour, which took them behind the scenes to see the various components involved in creating a live performance. They saw the different theatre spaces, including a sneak peek into a technical check for one of the matinee performances. This involved them seeing stage crew and stage management in action, as well as experiencing some of the sound/lighting checks.

Students then went backstage to see a glimpse of the other departments that help make live performance possible. This included the scenic arts department where flooring was being painted for a new show, a carpentry workshop, a huge prop and set storage area, prop making tables as well walking past the dressing rooms for the actors. The tour ended with students handling some props that had been made for specific National Theatre shows including a very realistic looking meat pie!

The day finished with a walk across the river to the Lyceum theatre to watch a performance of The Lion King. The year 9's were delightful throughout and asked many brilliant questions during the day.

We hope the trip broadened their knowledge of the variety of arts careers that exist and inspire them to continue to develop their skills and appreciation of live performance.