the
ArtsEd 2015 Easter Newsletter
Dear Parents, Carers and Pupils,
What a week, what a term, what a year so far! I just wanted to take this opportunity to celebrate what has been a
wonderful term that has seen the performances and academic successes at ArtsEd go from strength to strength.
Partly in recognition of all our achievements, I am thrilled to be able to share with you that ArtsEd is one of the three
finalists for The Independent Schools Association’s Excellence Award for 2013-14. The Excellence Award is only given
to one school a year, effectively as the ISA’s ‘School of the Year’ in terms of achievement and success in education. This
is a fantastic honour and is the result of all the hard work, commitment and dedication of the talented staff and pupils
here at the school. I will of course keep you posted as to the results, which will be announced in May, but just to reach
the final three schools from all over the UK is really quite something.
There is however some sad news as well, as we head towards the Easter break, Miss Thomas is finalising her plans to
relocate to the south coast and will be saying goodbye to ArtsEd, and Mr Kedge is leaving us to take up the position of
Head of Drama at Beaconsfield High School. I am sure I speak for all the pupils and staff that they have worked with
over their time at ArtsEd, when I thank them for all the hard work, support and Performing Arts expertise they have
brought to our school. We shall miss them in the classrooms and corridors, but we wish them every success as they
move on to pastures new, and we look forward to seeing them in the audience at an ArtsEd production soon.
All that is left for me to say is have a restful and enjoyable Easter, and best of luck with all the revision, rehearsals and
performances that I know many pupils are involved in over the break.
Adrian Blake
Headteacher
ablake@artsed.co.uk
Dear Parents, Carers and Pupils,
This term’s newsletter is intended to provide you with an overview of the highlights of the past ten weeks, which, with all of the many
performances across the school, seems to have whizzed by. During Vocational A.I.M. Week, the students’ excitement was palpable as
they rigorously prepared for the term’s upcoming productions. As noted by Isabelle Haynes-Hopkins (Year 8) it is incredibly rewarding
to hear an audience respond positively on opening night after weeks of hard work. Likewise, watching pupils develop and blossom as
individuals during the rehearsal process is equally gratifying for Staff and is yet another reminder of why we are in Education. The
newsletter also contains a special feature on TAP (The ArtsEd PTA). As you’ll see, the group has been very active since September and
they look forward to planning future events to support the school. TAP’s Social committee is currently busy planning the upcoming
Quiz Night in May and we hope to see you there. In the meantime, wishing you and your family a lovely Easter.
Kind regards,
Julia Collura
Director of Staff and Pupil Development
jcollura@artsed.co.uk
1 VOCATIONAL NEWS
‘Love's the Best Doctor’ by Molière at The Lost Theatre, Wandsworth
by Ella Balinska (Year 13)
This year, the Sixth Form Acting
Company tackled the farcical
comedy, Love's the Best Doctor by
Molière. The story follows
Sganarel, a greedy father who
attempts to find a cure for his
lovesick daughter, Lucinda.
However, Sganarel becomes too
indulged by the mad physicians
who try to cure her, resulting in
matters quickly slipping from
Sganarel's control.
From the audition to the final
performance, the experience never
failed to exercise our energy,
creativity and spontaneity. The
play was written in 1665 for King
Louis XIV at Versailles, in just 24
hours, which is reflected in the fast
paced, outrageous comedic text.
Translated from French, the text is
in heightened English. To access
this grand vernacular, in rehearsals
we delved deep into the mad world
of 'Commedia Dell’Arte’ to create
archetypal characters. We explored
the traits, vocal qualities,
physicality and relationships
between Il Dottore, the jargonfilled doctor, Columbina, the
quick-witted nurse and Pantalone,
the money orientated father.
We had only two double periods a
week since October to bring the
script to life. However, with the
incredible direction of Paul Tully
(Head of Drama) we rose to the
challenge! We performed for two
nights at Lost Theatre in
Wandsworth on 12 and 13 March
and both nights were a fantastic
success. Not only was it a
humbling achievement to perform
at a professional theatre, but it was
rewarding too, as all of the hard
work cemented some potentially
lifelong friendships.
Sixth Form Acting Company 2015: Ella Balinska, Hannah
Brown, Megan Chambers, Elspeth Day-Collins, Gary
Gannon, Romina Kaveh, Lydia May-Cooney, Harry Mold, Claire
O’Leary, Daniel Sykes, Stuart Thompson, Mattie Tucker, Chrystal
Umoh, Ayla Wheatley and James Wilson.
If you missed the spectacle this time, there is much in the pipeline
to look forward to!
2 You and Me and Brenda Bly!
by Isabelle Haynes-Hopkins Year 8
Brenda Bly Teen Detective (Book and Lyrics by Kevin Hammonds and Music by Charles Miller) took to the stage at the
Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation Theatre, lovingly known as ‘The Andy’, in March. Auditions began in September for
Year 8 and 9 actors.
Ensemble Curtain Call
Ellie Karp and Daniel Shwartz-Briskin (Year 9)
Following intense rehearsals, with the ‘amazing’
Director, Miss Collura, the ‘fabulous’ Choreographer,
Mr Harris and the ‘talented’ Musical Director, Miss
Howard, we finally opened with three wonderful
performances and were rewarded with the audience’s
copious amounts of laughter. During rehearsals the
cast bonded and learnt so much from each other.
They grew together as an ensemble and produced a
professional Performance. Although Miss Collura
would often remind us that we sometimes took two
steps forwards and eight steps backwards, with a lot of
practice, we managed to pull off a great show!
Isabelle Dunn (Year 9)
and
Isabelle Haynes-Hopkins (Year 8)
This experience has not just been about
acting, dancing and singing but has also
given me an insight into what happens
backstage, in the costume department,
lighting department and music production.
For me, the most memorable scene was
when Jed entered in black heels, a pink dress
and a blonde wig and had to dance with
Tarek! I shall never quite look at them both
in the same way again; they were hilarious!
Other memorable scenes include the remote
cabin in the woods, the fake snow and the
dance break in ‘All American Boy’.
I still can’t stop singing the songs and
reciting the lines from the show. Brenda Bly
will be sorely missed and I can’t wait until
next year!
Tarek Glata (Year 9)
and
Jed Woolas (Year 8)
3 This term was jam-packed with numerous performance events:
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Several BTEC Assessments, including units on Contemporary Theatre; Theatre in
Education; Theatre for Children; Devising and Site-Specific Theatre
AS Drama and Theatre Studies Monologues and Duologues
Year 7/8 Drama Sharing evening
Drama Year 11 GCSE exam
AS/A2 practical Dance exams
and…. The Dance Show!
Lauran Taylor-Griffin and Jamie Wills
Matthew Oliver (Year 8) and Tom Razey (Year 11)
4 News
Solene Rashleigh (Year 7) won a £50 gift certificate for the purchase of arts supplies at Turnham Arts
and Crafts for her winning design of the TAP logo. Many thanks to Ms Loweth (Head of Visual Arts) for
coordinating the competition.
TAP (ArtsEd’s PTA for the Day School and Sixth Form) has had a very productive year, from the library
launch in September to the more recent Christmas fundraising appeal for Save the Children and S.P.E.A.R (a
local charity for the homeless).
A huge thank you to all of the parents and carers who helped to make this happen through their more than
substantial donations of time, baked goods and luxury gifts. We were inundated with mince pies for the
Music Concert sales and the luxury gift item donations for S.P.E.A.R. were extremely generous. Lotte
Campanale (TAP parent representative and mum of Matteo, Year 10) was recently appointed as a volunteer
ambassador visiting schools as well as a SWEP (emergency cover in hostels) for the charity. She reported
back that S.P.E.A.R. ‘were hugely impressed with the donations. The excess mince pies also went to
S.P.E.A.R. for the hampers and were still being consumed in January!’
A grand total of £554.01 was raised for Save the Children (this includes £107.18 for the Christmas Jumper
Appeal, organised by Miss Beresford (Head of Humanities). Wow!
Do you know about The Giving Machine? The Giving Machine is a UK registered charity, whose sole aim is
to facilitate raising money for UK charitable causes and schools. By shopping online
via TheGivingMachine at your favourite shops you will generate a free cash donation with every single
purchase. With stores like Amazon, ebay, M&S, NEXT, Tesco, Sainsbury and John Lewis taking part, you
are bound to be able to make a valuable contribution via The Giving Machine.
Please join our new giving community and ArtsEd by visiting www.TheGivingMachine.co.uk - it’s easy to
sign up and start giving as you shop. Don’t miss this opportunity to support us and help spread the word to
raise as much as we can for TAP. Your shopping will make a difference!
5 News
continued…
TAP was formed in early 2014 and its mission is to facilitate social and fundraising events that will enrich the
ArtsEd community. As we go to press, TAP is in the middle of planning a quiz night and we hope to see you
there!
QUIZ NIGHT!
Date: Thursday 21st May
Venue: The Duchess of Cambridge, Bath Road, Chiswick
Time: 19.30 pm start
PRICE: The cost of the evening is £20.00 per person including
a fish and chip supper.
Please come along and support this fun evening; raise funds
for our school and meet other parents and staff. We only
have nine tables of six available so please book soon to
guarantee your place. We would also welcome any Prize
donations for our raffle.
Please contact Gina Symmons (mum of Poppy, Year 11 and
Louis, Year 13) on email gina@thepinkiceball.co.uk or Sue
Watts (mum of Ellie, Year 11) at sue.watts5@btinternet.co.uk
6 News
continued…
The newly formed Day School and Sixth Form libraries are in need of additional books. If you have any of
the books on the following Wish List please drop them off at school, for the attention of Julia Collura.
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
The Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling
Kes by Barry Hines
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Perks of being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Paper Towns by John Green
Let it Snow by John Green
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Lord of the Rings by J R R Tolkien
A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
On the Road by Jack Kerouac
Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh
Regeneration by Pat Barker
This Side of Paradise by F Scott Fitzgerald
The Beautiful and Damned by F Scott Fitzgerald
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Delirium by Lauren Oliver
The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
Howl's Moving Castle by Dianna Wynne Jones
Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Teen Fiction
If I Stay by Gayle Forman
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Biographies
Audrey: Her Real Story by Alexander Walker
Goddess: The Secret Lives of Marilyn Monroe by Anthony
Summers
Teen Horror
Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
Remember Me by Christopher Pike
The Burning by R L Stine
I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga
Road to Nowhere by Christopher Pike
The Twilight Series: Eclipse, Breaking Dawn, and New
Moon by Stephanie Meyer
Autobiographies
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Junior
We are not requesting any other titles at the moment due to space constraints.
Lastly, if you would like TAP to contact you regarding news and upcoming events, please inform your year
group’s parent representative.
Year 7
Cherry Wood (cherry.wood@live.co.uk)
Year 8
Tracey Allen (traceyallen.tja@btopenworld.com)
Year 9
Angelique Glata (aeglata@gmail.com)
Annie Fitzpatrick (anniefitzpatrick163@googlemail.com)
Ella Rich (ella.rich@me.com)
Year 10
Lotte Campanale (lotte@campanale.co.uk)
Year 11
Matthew Watts (mwatts@mwa.uk.net)
Sue Watts (sue.watts5@btinternet.com)
Gina Symmons (gina@thepinkiceball.co.uk)
Year 12
Jo Dalton (jodaltonworks@gmail.com)
Year 13
Kim Hainsworth (kimbrown@morehairnow.com)
7 STAFF NEWS
This term a number of Staff let their hair down and
put on their bowling shoes at Bloomsbury Lanes.
Tristan Bradley (Maths Teacher) showed his true
Canadian colours triumphing over everyone.
Rumours of a Staff/Year 13 ‘Bowl Off’ are in the
works for the Summer Term. Watch this space.
BOWLING New Staff
BMus (Hons) Music, University of Sheffield; PGCE, Bishop Grosseteste
University, Lincoln. Susie began her teaching career in Lincolnshire and
has been Head of Music for the last eight years. Susie was an active
member of the National Youth Choir of Great Britain, touring both
nationally and internationally, recording and performing a wide variety
of repertoire in venues including the Royal Albert Hall, Birmingham
Symphony Hall and the Wellington Cathedral.
Susie Bell
Head of Music
sbell@artsed.co.uk
Graduate Diploma in Teaching (Secondary), Drama and Media Studies,
The University of Auckland, New Zealand; BA, Communication Studies
(Advertising, Radio and Television), Auckland University of
Technology, Auckland, New Zealand. Emma is currently Acting Head
of Drama at a very successful grammar school in West London and will
join the Drama Department in the Summer Term. Teaching and theatre
are Emma’s two passions in life and she feels incredibly lucky to spend
each day sharing these with others.
Emma Gillies
Teacher of Drama
Staff Farewells
Marj Thomas is relocating to Somerset. An accomplished musician, with versatility on a number of
instruments, as well as voice, Miss Thomas has shared her musical expertise with ArtsEd students as Head of
Music for the past six years and has organised and led an array of wonderful music events. All the staff and
students at ArtsEd wish her all the best with the big move!
Daniel Kedge has been appointed Head of Drama at Beaconsfield High School. Initially appointed as a
Drama Teacher at ArtsEd, Mr Kedge took on the additional responsibilities of KS3 Coordinator and Deputy
Head of Drama/Acting for the Day School during his five years at the school. We wish him every success in
his new role.
8 News bites
Move it/Perform
by Mark Ferrington (Director of Sixth Form)
ArtsEd Sixth Form created a fantastic buzz at the
Move It/Perform exhibition at Olympia London 13–15
February. Staff and students spent the three days
networking with industry professionals as well as
promoting our Sixth Form to potential applicants.
In the Spotlight
Zoe Brough (Year 7) is currently
appearing in The Nether by Jennifer
Hayley at The Royal Court Theatre. Zoe performing at The Music Concert, December 2014
9