Students Receive Outstanding Reviews

Performing Arts students at Walsall College recently performed in a play at the National Theatre in London, receiving excellent reviews. Twenty-five Walsall College students were selected to be in the final ten companies to perform at The National Theatre, as part of the New Connections Festival.

The talented students performed to a sell-out audience at the Cottesloe Theatre on Saturday 2nd July, and received an impressive 4 star review in the London Evening Standard – click here.

The competition received entrants from over 500 institutions and involved learning and performing the play, ‘Gap’ by Alia Bano. In order to be considered, students had to perform for the judges at their own college, create a filmed version of the play and then give an additional performance at the Warwick Arts Centre.

The National Theatre is central to the creative life of the country. In its three theatres on the South Bank in London it presents an eclectic mix of new plays and classics from the world repertoire, with seven or eight productions in repertory at any one time. It has wide-ranging programmes of public engagement and participation, tours in the UK and internationally, and broadcasts seasons of its productions and others’ work into cinemas across the world.

Performing Arts Lecturer at Walsall College, Kerry Downing said: “The student company worked so hard on this project and proved that hard work and dedication really does pay off. They were professional throughout and became a focal point of the festival. To see these young people get up on that stage and give everything they had was a sight to see! I am very proud of each and every one of them”.

Performing Arts student Gemma Oliver said: “We gave the performance everything we had and it was exciting to get such fantastic reviews. The whole experience has been amazing and we were all delighted to get the opportunity to work with exceptionally talented industry professionals and perform in one of the country’s leading theatres”.