A Christmas Carol

The College Production team staged a version of Charles Dickens' classic Christmas parable, "A Christmas Carol" at the end of November and the start of December. Performed on three nights the show involved over a hundred students from Year 7 through to Year 13 as actors, musicians, set builders, light and sound technicians and stage managers. The group also continued its tradition of having student co-directors, this year Corinna Taylor and Winnie Guy from Year 13 worked alongside Jonathon Plunkett to direct the show.

The performances of the acting company and the orchestra were tremendous.

Highlights included the four ghosts: Marley played by Meg Chaplin, Past by Emma Jenkin, Present by Claire Hart and Future by James Farr balanced on stilts. They were ably backed by a wonderful Cratchit Family with Mr and Mrs Cratchit (David Speare and Jess Cox) playing the parents of the four Cratchit children played by Beccy Ives, Olivia Thompson, Laurie Taylor and, in a particularly moving performance, Rhys Chaney as Tiny Tim.

There were some delightful vignettes, among the most memorable being Calvin Jordan and Molly Cornell's husband and wife act in the Fezziwigs scene and Larissa Pinkham as Scrooge's abandoned love.

A particular mention must be made of the group of fifteen Storytellers who acted out Dickens' narrative beautifully.

Among others who stood out were Stanley Barker and Hannah Mills as a debt ridden couple and Ellie Fitch-Goodwin and Elizabeth Bailey as the debt collectors sent by Scrooge to persecute them.

At the end of the first half Erin Hilsdon and Ellie Harvey personified Ignorance and Want, the conscience of the play.

Strong support was provided by students too numerous to mention, including Jack Rowlands who played a dead body!

Of course the whole show was dominated by a brilliant virtuoso performance by James Ormsby as Scrooge, combining physical theatre, improvised comedy and a tremendous emotional range: this was a truly magnificent performance and one that showed this fine young actor in an excellent light.

The play was performed on a set that skillfully portrayed the various locations, designed and constructed by Chris Neve and members of the construction department, although it must be said that the construction of the set was not as thrilling for Mr Neve as the purchase and operation of the snow machine!

Musical accompaniment was provided by a twenty piece orchestra, directed by Adam Lane who also arranged a wonderful overture that contained many of the favourite carols featured in the show. They also provided some tremendous sound effects composed by the orchestra and played with sensitivity to the demands of the performance.

A final word for some of the technical support offered by staff and students alike. Carol Hidderley dressed the cast in beautiful costumes and also designed and led the making of the very effective ghosts that haunted Scrooge early on in the show. Laurence Jewell and his team provided sound and lights, while the whole show was marshaled from behind the scenes by the ultra-efficient Jenny Cruise.

The College was delighted to receive an independent review of the production in the Western Morning News article entitled "Students show the Chancellor where to stick his humbug!", in which the writer points out the relevance of Dickens' story to today's economic climate.  Ironically, the Production had to be cancelled on Wednesday November 30th as a result of industrial action.