PUBLISHED 11 April 2024
On 9th April 2024, the Little Shop of Horrors cast and crew reunited in the Drama Studio for a viewing party of the production. From roars of laughter to emotional moments, the cast had an amazing evening reliving the events that took place down on ‘Skid Row'. There was even the opportunity to buy props, clothes, shoes, signs, and other mementos that we used in the show for keepsakes from the production at the Lowther Pavilion in January.
The highlight of the evening was watching the video. Having been either backstage, waiting for our cues, or on the stage itself during the show, we were able to see for the first time how all the hard work and effort from the cast and the backstage crew came together seamlessly for the audience.
Everyone was buzzing with excitement from when pizza and drinks were served, through to the main event - the show itself. We all thought that everyone had done a brilliant job of contributing to the production, from acting, to singing, and our amazing backstage crew. We couldn’t have done this without all the generous donations from everybody, in particular, George G in Year 8, who donated a whopping £100.
Before the watch party commenced, it was time for the awards ceremony to take place. The awards were voted for by the whole cast and crew to recognise the talent, not only onstage, but backstage too. The awards began with the ‘Best Newcomer’ awards, which were awarded to me, Isaac B (Year 7) and Jasmine S (Year 10). ‘Most Improved Performer’ awards were presented to Jacob B (Year 11), Lila N (Year 9), and Bobby W (Year 7), and our ‘Future Singer/Actor/Dancer’ awards were also given for outstanding efforts in each area to Olivia D (Year 10), Alex W (Year 12) and Jacob B (Year 11). Whilst there were some more serious awards focused on the students’ achievements, there were also some that took on a more fun tone, such as Alex W and Hugo F (Year 12) winning the joint award for ‘Cast Parents’, and Bobby W (Year 7) for winning ‘Cast Clown’.
However, who could forget the ‘Biggest Diva’ award that went to our very own Seymour, Henry C (Year 9). Emotions were high as some of our Year 13 students were given ‘The Last Bow’ to recognise their last performance as part of the AKS family, both onstage and backstage. A huge congratulations to everyone who got an award during the ceremony. The cast and crew did an incredible job, and it must have been exceedingly difficult to select our winners. Although the cast were in the spotlight during show week, we need to thank all the teachers and staff, both within and beyond the Performing Arts Department, who helped to create this incredible production.
Finally, we would like to say a massive thank you to the teachers for providing this party with all the decorations, snacks, drinks, food and fun just for us all to have the best experience possible, as they all made sure that we were all having a wonderful time celebrating all the work we have done.
It was deeply gratifying to see how our hard work had paid off, and to celebrate our achievements, as well as how we overcame obstacles during the months of rehearsals.