On Tuesday 25th April 2023, we welcomed students, staff, friends and families for an evening of Shakespeare and Champagne to celebrate the opening of our Carmel Hall Black Box Studio Theatre.
The evening began with the chance for guests to mingle over drinks and canapés and observe some of the amazing special effects we’re now able to put on in the Theatre, followed by a demonstration of the extensive range of lighting by our tech guru, Mr Page.
Head of Drama Miss Hanton then introduced our guest of honour and star of Captain America, Resident Evil and War & Peace, Mr Oscar Pearce, to the stage, for a sensational performance of the prologue of Henry V.
We were then treated to a seamlessly interwoven and beautifully acted series of Shakespeare performances by our Drama Scholars of all ages, enhanced by atmospheric lighting and special sound effects.
The evening came to a close with a poignant speech by Headmistress Mrs Elphinstone about the many incredibly important applications of acting and drama in later life, such as developing creativity, courage, empathy and resilience, as well as leadership and teamwork skills.
Thank you so much to the Drama Department for putting together this wonderful event and to our incredibly generous donors who have allowed us to transform Carmel Hall into this state-of-the-art and extremely versatile theatre space which our students and staff will enjoy for many years to come. Donations to date have allowed us to install colour and light wash lighting, a new lighting desk, tiered seating, microphones, pipe and cloth and much more, which has transformed the quality of our in-school productions and is allowing girls to gain invaluable experience in production, design, lighting and many other technical elements of theatre.
There are yet more exciting developments in the pipeline… watch this space!
