Stratford-upon-Avon College’s Performing & Production Arts students are bringing a spectacular medley of some of the world’s most successful musicals to a virtual audience for the first time on the 20th May 2021!
For the past decade, the event, normally performed to a live ‘in-person’ audience, has been known in various guises as Musicals ROCK! This year, students have embraced the challenging circumstances and set to deliver the first ‘online’ incarnation of the show entitled ‘Musicals LOCK!down’.
The performance will be livestreamed on Zoom from the College’s state-of-the-art venue the Gordon Vallins Studio, with students performing show stopping numbers from We Will Rock You, Sister Act, Copacabana and Legally Blonde. The show will also feature a special guest alum who will be ‘zooming in’ live from the West End to perform with the students on the night!
Musical Theatre student Mia Popsys remarks: “Musicals LOCK!down has been hard work but the payoff that it’s bringing is absolutely worth it. The validation you get on stage when performing is amazing.”
With over 40 students coming together from the College’s Musical Theatre, Dance, and Backstage Production Arts (Technical Theatre) courses, the production is the result of either two or three year’s professional training at Stratford-upon-Avon College.
The students have been rehearsing tirelessly for weeks, you can follow their journey on insta @musicalslockdown
Musical Director Alex Dengate says: “It’s that special time of year where once again the mighty machine that is Musicals ROCK! taxis to the runway and gets ready for take-off! We are all incredibly excited about getting this show off the ground and the added element of the production being livestreamed online to an audience of hundreds is a new and exhilarating challenge for all departments in the production to step up to.”
Performers will be able to see the audience via a live projected feed ensuring they can feed off the audience’s energy and applause throughout the performance. This has meant an extra challenge for the Backstage Production Arts students, who will also be operating the lighting, sound and AV elements of the show.
Assistant Choreographer and Dance student Hannah Perry comments: “Musicals LOCK!down has been a great insight for me into what my future career in choreography will look like.”
Musicals LOCK!down’s Lighting Operator, Matt English is currently studying Backstage Production Arts (Technical Theatre) at the College, he remarks: “This show has been different to any other previous shows here at Stratford-upon-Avon college due to it being virtual, this has meant adapting my skills to cater for lighting for a camera rather than audience. The technical theatre course here has helped me with this by preparing me for both audience and camera shows which is a great skill to have.”
Artistic Director of Musicals LOCK!down, Phil Watson-Smith comments: “This is my 9th year directing this amazing project. This year has presented lots of challenges that we are continuing to rise to and are delighted for an audience to see the work the performers have produced.”
Watch live from the comfort of your home on Thursday 20th May at 7PM! Book your tickets now at www.mlock.eventbrite.co.uk!
