Month: March 2020

West Side Story

As the clear up comes to an end and the Centenary Hall is back to normal, it is hard to believe that only a few weeks ago it transported us to the streets of New York for this year’s whole school musical, West Side Story.

Trying to pick something to match the success of Les Misérables last year, was a tall order, and the production team knew West Side Story was going to be tricky, being full of dance, the hardest musical score of the genre, and the emotional turmoil of the story. However, the over 120 students involved in this huge production rose to the challenge, and the school staged an incredible, sell-out immersive performance week at the beginning of March, so much so that some of the audience even came to all four nights.

To house such a big cast, and huge dance numbers, this year’s musical was performed in-the-round, with set pieces and even street lighting all around the hall, allowing the two rival gangs of ‘Americans’ and ‘Puerto Rican’ immigrants to play out Bernstein, Sondheim and Laurents’ take on Shakespeare’s beloved Romeo and Juliet. The audience enjoyed sitting around the action, and being able to get a close–up view of the energetic and complex iconic dances from the show.

This was a real show-case of talents both on and off stage. The orchestra was noted to be the best-sounding ever, the stage crew worked hard to bring New York to reality in the space, and all the cast showed huge commitment rehearsing multiple times each week from September to develop their skills acting in different directions, and of course memorising all the dance moves! There was even a marching brass band in the midst of one of the whole-cast dance numbers.

The leads were particularly exceptional this year, and the quality of singing and stage presence brought by Tony (Charlie Epps) and Maria (Avalon Vowles), along with Anita (Matilda Nicholls) and Riff (Robert Harrison) was incredible, being full of emotion and character. It is worth noting all the lead Jets too (Nathan Gribbin, Rupert Hill, James Gibbs, George Menter, Oscar Garbett, David Cooper, Guy Lewis and Josh Escott) who, opposite the Sharks (Jonathan Chant-Stevens, Austin Incles, Hugo Hedges, Arthur Sloggett, Sophie Chamberlain and Jasmine Smale) all worked hard to develop a gritty presentation of 1950s’ street-gang life.

Despite the achievement of such an inspiring performance, the end of the show brings a sadness for many involved. After nearly two-terms’ work, participation requires such a commitment of time and emotion that there can be a sense of loss when it is over. However, what is left behind is perhaps even more inspiring than the show itself: the memories and friendships, along with the skills, resilience and team-spirit of all involved will last a lifetime. And, of course, it won’t be long before we start planning next year’s spectacle!

Just before February half term, 110 students from across all year groups joined 30 Science Club (CREST award) and 32 year-12 IB students, to put on probably the largest and most successful Science Fair yet!

The huge variety of science demonstrations and projects was staggering, and the quality of the presentations outstanding. One of the objectives of the fair is to allow students to work independently on science outside of the normal curriculum, thereby gaining an invaluable learning experience; they did so to an impressive level!

In the morning, 80 able-and-talented primary students from a number of local schools attended TBGS, taking part in a rocket car challenge before taking tours of the labs where they saw some of the more hazardous experiments run by the sixth forms, visiting the observatory where they saw our state-of-the-art telescope, and finally seeing the main Science Fair exhibits.

Congratulations to all the students involved in this year’s fair, and a huge thank you to the science staff who helped supervise groups and ensured the day ran so smoothly.

Our poets in residence were inspired to put pen to paper to capture the event.

Answers
I want to think like a scientist,
Observing animals, the Earth and even the sky,
I want to find good answers,
And pry, and pry, and pry.

So for this I came to the Science Fair,
My feet, running like a waterfall,
My mouth gaping in wonder,
My eyes, scrutinizing the hall.

Everywhere I could see, explosions,
People walking about,
Experiments all a-blazing,
And here are some things that for me did call out…

The Potato gun fires – Patin’s portrait expires,
A bike whirrs round and around. It’s complexity even me did astound.
A tennis ball mortar goes BOOM! – and from it, of smoke, a great plume.
A marshmallow, vacuumed in a jar, the effect, strikingly bizarre.

A single second all this took – but for what happened could be written a book,
I stand there, will in awe, waiting for the shock to thaw,
While thinking, as my brain lost all despair,
“Thank goodness I came to the Science Fair!”

Zack Stone
 
A Celebration of Light and Colour
One roof under which the celebration of light and colour was continuously calling,
Two twisting tornadoes of water spiralled uncontrollably, distorting wonderstruck faces,
Three hundred people filtering through the labyrinth of knowledge and intrigue,
Forty experiments sitting dormant… anticipating… waiting… waiting…
Five fired up senses fearlessly foreseeing the future,
Six houses joined as one, sharing in the miracles of the scientific universe,
Seven frequencies of light refracting, enabling the colours of the rainbow to dance around the hall.
Eight keen poets rapidly recording the radiation of sights and sounds, summarising the spectacle,
Nine amps of current surging silently through the unknown circuits,
Ten times the school spirit packed into one room.

The room into which light and colour were continuously calling.

Jozef Prywata

The Science Fair
The genie is out of the lamp!
A fascinating sweetshop of chemical fantasies.
Mysterious, marvellous, magical alchemy.
Excited, mice-pitched voices and gleaming eyes,
As primary scientists investigate.
Weary cyclists generate power – keeping the show on the road.
Whirling wheels spin: Caractacus Potts would have been proud!
Sudden explosions-spiralling smoke mingles
with dry ice – a 1980s Top of the Pops!
Protective gowns become magicians’ capes
As Science takes its bow, centre stage.

Jude Ellacott

Science (f)Air
As you walk through the large wooden doors,
The music booms down your ears, in roars,
Smells of smoke and steam fill your nose,
In the Science Fair, there’s no time to doze.

As you shuffle by the stalls, like a clock at work,
No clue round the corner which experiment will lurk,
Older scientists and younger welcoming you near,
With the background music being all you can hear.

The pops and bangs from the canon on the stage,
This magic they produce seems that of a mage,
Each time they ready themselves to fire,
The cheers and chatter levels go even higher.

Each little reaction played its own part,
To stop all the bored ones, about to depart,
The flames and sparks flying up in the air,
There’s something exciting going on everywhere.

Coloured smoke bellows through the room,
The cannon fires away with a massive ‘Boom’,
Younger students cheering with utter glee,
Watching as the speeding potato is finally let free.

Who wouldn’t want to go to this fair?
Where all you can do is stand and stare,
At all the amazing things there are to see,
And entry comes at no paying fee.
 
Ruben Locke