The gift that keeps on giving

Claremont High School is chosen to take part in a new theatre initiative 

Teachers at Claremont are always on the lookout for exciting new opportunities for their students, which is why when Ms Norrish in the Drama Department heard about The Old Vic’s ‘Schools Club’ programme back in July, she wasted no time in applying. This bold initiative aims to inspire the next generation of theatre-makers through free tickets to see productions at The Old Vic and to participate in accompanying workshops throughout the 2024-25 academic year. Many secondary schools across London applied to be one of the forty lucky enough to take part and Claremont was delighted to be chosen! 

Schools Club provides students in years 9 to 13 with an introduction to a broad range of non-performance roles within the theatre industry, everything from directing to design. Not only do they get to see four shows at The Old Vic this year, accompanied by four in-school workshops exploring different theatre disciplines (set/costume, lighting, sound, writing), there’s also the opportunity for work experience at the theatre itself, plus training sessions for the teachers. 

Claremont staff and students are already reaping the benefits following their first trip on 16th October 2024 to see The Real Thing by acclaimed playwright Tom Stoppard. 

‘We took Year 11 GCSE Drama and Year 13 A Level Drama students,’ explains Mr Lipman. ‘For almost all of them it was their first time at The Old Vic and their first time watching a play in the theatre, rather than a musical. They really enjoyed the experience and were having some great conversations in the interval and on the way home about the plot, characters and the impressive use of set design.’ 

The next trip in December will have a very festive feel as the students find themselves immersed in the world of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, starring stage-and-screen actor John Simm as the miserly Scrooge. And the spring will see Claremont return to The Old Vic once more to see Oedipus with Rami Malek and Indira Varma. The Schools Club truly is the gift that keeps on giving, and it all started here at school with an application form back in the summer… Thanks, Ms Norrish!