At the crack of dawn last Saturday a sleepy but excited group of theatre lovers began the journey down to London. We arrived in good time and were dropped off on Waterloo Bridge with beautiful views of the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben bathed in October sunshine.
Our backstage exclusive tour of the National Theatre began and we were shown the three theatres within the National– The Cottesloe, The Lyttleton and the huge Olivier. We were given access to areas to areas where normally only actors or crew could go, and even allowed in the wings of the Lyttleton, amongst the set of The Veil. We met War Horses, ‘Alice’, and got to grips with some very gruesome props – severed hands, heads and a very realistic hamburger! Our guide was excellent and so informative – a huge thank you to her – we all learned a lot!
After our two hour tour, we crossed the Thames and took a short tube journey to the Victoria Palace where we had Dress Circle seats for Billy Elliot – The Musical. Our whole group – students and teachers alike – were alternately sobbing and bursting into laughter! The set was versatile, with actors visibly changing scenes and the design clearly reflecting the struggles of 1980s mining Britain; however, there were glorious moments of colour and dazzle – dancing dresses and a huge inflatable Margaret Thatcher!
The day was thoroughly enjoyed by all. Well done to all the students who took part – you were very well behaved – and we look forward to the next trip!