Highgate’s school musical returned to the artsdepot before half term with a rousing production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Entertaining audiences over four packed performances, Senior School pupils showcased their skills in music, dance and drama to tell this classic story.
The school musical takes place every two years and is open to pupils in Y10-13. It’s an exciting opportunity for Music, Dance and Drama to collaborate, and by taking the production to an external venue, pupils gained valuable insight into the workings of a professional theatre. Despite the unusual challenge of playing ‘objects’ (the teapot, the candelabra etc), pupils found the humanity in every single character, cleverly highlighting the relationships between them that was really moving to watch.
Behind the scenes, our brilliant technician, Ms Sloan, worked her magic again as a new generation of young technical crew learnt the ropes of careful stage management and technical operation, to ensure seamless transitions between multiple locations within the play.
Juliet Fehr, Director of Drama, commented: “As teachers, it’s always rewarding to witness the cast bonding across the year groups and supporting one another over the duration of the rehearsal period: pupils often talk of feeling like they are in a ‘family’ whilst working on a show. This was particularly evident this year with OCs, having starred in previous musicals, coming to offer support in rehearsals and then travelling from universities up and down the country to see the final performance. It’s such a special part of their school experience and one that has a lasting impact way beyond their time here.”
Storm, in Y10, enthused: “Performing the show was half the fun – making friends with the older years and getting to know all sorts of people was what made the Musical so fulfilling.”
Louna, in Y13 who played Belle, added “Working on this show has been such an incredible and gratifying experience. Learning how to embody your character through singing, acting and dancing is vital for any performer and are all skills I have improved on as a result. I felt so lucky to have an amazing team of people who supported me and each other in achieving our best result and having lots of fun in the process. Finally showing the audience the show after so much preparation was bittersweet, as I knew it was all coming to an end, but at the same time, I felt a great sense of pride at what we had accomplished.”
Catherine Harrison, Musical Director on the show, said: “It has been particularly rewarding seeing pupils who haven’t sung that much, coming out of their shell throughout the rehearsal process, resulting in them singing at the top of their voices on a professional stage. The cast have definitely connected through the shared experience of the show and it has been wonderful to see their confidence and musicality grow.”
As the curtain came down for the final time on the last show, emotions ran high and there were the usual feelings of despair and many tears shed as cast and crew realised it was all over. However, amongst the sadness there was the realisation that they had managed something truly remarkable: alongside all the other pressures they face as young people in 2026, they had voluntarily committed to endless after school and weekend rehearsals and found joy in the process and real sense of pride in what they had achieved.
As one member of the ensemble said during yet another Sunday rehearsal: “I’m having the time of my life!”
