In May 2022, RLS Productions returned after 2 years of (Covid related) absence to bring delighted audiences C.H.I.P.S. and The Sad Club.
The Sad Club is a musical by Luke Barnes, about what living in this world stops us being happy and how we might go about tackling those problems. It’s a collection of monologues, songs and duologues from all over time and space.. The music, by Adam Pleeth, is catchy, modern and fantastic. The play was performed in the National Theatre in 2019 and almost certainly would have toured the UK had Covid not intervened.
It was an honour to perform this incredible play and, boy oh boy, did our Key Stage 4 Drama students do it justice. A remarkably talented group of young actors gave both Tuesday and Wednesday night’s performances their all, with perfectly delivered lines with such poignancy and expression, fantastic choreography and powerful singing. Each character was developed and presented so well that you felt as if you knew them. The school band played an incredibly tight, note perfect, set.
After 2 years of lockdown this play resonated deeply with us all with it’s message that ‘you are not alone’ in your fight with mental demons and the whole experience became strangely uplifting, rather than depressing!
Well done to all the cast and crew; our directors—Mrs Charleston / Luc Sykes (The Sad Club), Emily, Freya, Orla and Bethany (C.H.I.P.S.), Miss Foxon & Mr Gibbons(music) Mrs Nortje and Miss McNally (staff production) and everyone who was involved as actors, musicians, in costume, set, make up design, or as technical support!
Mrs Charleston’s last ever production…
Our wonderful Head of Creative Arts, Mrs Charleston, is leaving us this summer, after over 20 years at Richard Lander School! In that time, she has nurtured so many young actors and directed so many productions including …Midsummer Night’s Dream, Histos do Carnival, Oliver, Big Al, Blood Brothers, West Side Story, Journeys, The Juniper Tree, Bugsy Malone, Alice in Landerland, Little Shop of Horrors, Peter Pan, The Creative Arts Showcase, Annie, Smiley Face, Billy Elliott, Art Happens, and finally this year’s CHIPS and The Sad Club!!
So many of our students list being a part of a school production as in their favourite memories of their time at RLS.
After the final The Sad Club curtain call, some of our finest actors – Luke, Betty, Charlotte and Daisy – stole Mr Holloway’s thunder by jumping in first to express their gratitude to Mrs C, presenting her with a card from the cast, followed up with a huge bunch of flowers and a bottle of bubbly!
Mrs Charleston will obviously be sorely missed but we are so grateful for all she has done for the school and we’ve got her for another ten weeks 🙂 and, of course, we wish her all the very best on her future adventures!
