Romeo & Juliet on Tour

Performing Arts BTEC

As part of the Performing Arts BTEC course, the students are required to take their skills on the road and tour a variety of local schools. This year the students performed a modern rendition of Romeo & Juliet, reimagining this tragic love story by questioning what the final death scene really achieved. In this unique take on the Shakespearian classic, our students played the parts of Romeo and Juliet’s ghosts, continuing the story past the bitter-sweet end. Created, choreographed and directed by the students themselves, this performance showcases the spectacular talent and creativity that our students possess. The end result was a unique and striking performance, adding a new dimension to this beloved classic and deepening the student’s knowledge of Shakespeare and theatre production. 

This part of the course hands the responsibility back to the students, it allows them to take control of their performance and experience the associated freedom that comes with independent learning. They have the chance to take on different roles available in show business, such as Stage Manager, giving them a taste of the real world of Drama and Theatre. Our Head of Department, Andy Pullen, works around the clock to provide these unique opportunities to his students, this is what he had to say about this year’s tour…

“Our BTEC Diploma Company embarked on a radical exploration of Shakespeare's most formidable love story, Romeo & Juliet. Our practitioners developed a contemporary retelling of the classic, with an in-the-round setting and were inspired by the genre-defining theatre company, Kneehigh. The piece examined the legacy of the original text and the exploration of complex characters whilst also pushing the socio-political boundaries of the narrative. This work was shared within the local community, performing to over 150 school students from the surrounding area, making lifelong connections and deepening their artistic understanding. Our practitioners learnt first-hand what it's like to tour theatre and create work to serve and enrich the community, empowering them to continue to develop into the artists of tomorrow”