The Inaugural ROS StageWorks Summer School

Well, after more than a year of planning and anticipation, it finally happened. And it was terrific.

On Sunday 30th July, 43 students arrived at 9:30 a.m. for registration, looking smart in their royal blue ROSSWSS t-shirts and ready for action.

They were off. Everyone wanted to try for a role in the end-of-week production of Half a Sixpence, so Sunday afternoon sped by as the students threw themselves into auditions, generously applauding each other as the parts were awarded. The excitement grew.

The next seven days were filled with singing and dancing, while those with lines to deliver used every available space in the Winston Churchill Hall to rehearse their scenes, often with a Summer School tutor in tow, to advise and encourage.

Behind the scenes, a battalion of ROS and StageWorks helpers painted scenery and props, ran up costumes and made sure refreshments were ready for all the troops - the young and the young at heart.

As the week passed, costume fittings filled odd moments and props were assigned to their temporary owners and it wasn’t unusual to see a student strolling by sporting a top hat or twirling a parasol.

The Summer School had attracted all kinds of students. Some had never set foot on a stage, while others were seasoned performers who had taken part in shows with ROS or other local musical theatre groups in recent years. It made no difference to the way they all got along and worked together to produce the fabulous end result. Experienced on-stage or not, everyone learned, practised and shone.

Performance Day dawned. Saturday 5th August would see the results of the whole team’s hard work and enthusiasm. Before work started on final preparations the students were invited to a presentation ceremony, where each received a show programme and a certificate in recognition of their attendance and achievements at the ROS StageWorks Summer School 2006.

Then it was back to business and the rest of the morning was taken up with final rehearsals and a technical briefing. The production, although a condensed version of the show, would involve full lighting and sound as well as a substantial amount of scenery, so everyone had to be made aware of the safety implications and the strict rules governing life backstage.

How many excited youngsters ate a full lunch that day, do you suppose? After the break, there was just time for wig fittings and make-up before the performers clambered into their costumes for the dress rehearsal at 2 o’clock. Then, last-minute hitches sorted, the auditorium doors were opened to family and friends.

At 4 o’clock the audience was seated, the lights dimmed and the rest, as they say, is history.

43 students arrived to take part in the very first ROS StageWorks Summer School. One week later, 43 young performers left, each with a fund of memories, some new friends and a burning desire to tread the boards again.

Mission Accomplished.