ONCE upon a time we were all Danny or Sandy – stumbling our way through relationships, putting our foot in it, getting things wrong, and throughout this outstanding run of performances of Grease, the hearts of the audience were always with the characters, hoping for a happy ending – and we certainly got one!
This Ilkley Grammar School production marked another shift in gear for the IGS Creative Arts Department. After the Ingleborough drama residential, on the last day before the Christmas holiday, the cast delivered seven back-to-back performances of ‘Born to Hand Jive’ in a series of assemblies to promote the show to every year group. This enabled the Creative Arts to reach every student in the school – not only entertaining everyone, but also inspiring the next generation of performers.
The production had two casts totalling 77 students from across all seven year groups with a live band of 14 musicians. There were also around 54 additional students helping backstage, front of house and with sound, props, set design and lighting, all supported by 25 members of staff. This was a huge undertaking by any standards and what was incredible was that across all the performances, including the finale on Thursday, February 29, taking place three weeks later than planned due to snow, everything came together into one, joyful event.
With hugely characterful acting, powerful singing performances, live music, hilarious slapstick, energetic and fantastically choreographed dancing, faultless sound and lighting and American accents straight out of 1950's Chicago, this production just had everything and there was such an incredible sense of unity that it is almost impossible to pick out individual performances from across the two casts but perhaps special mention should go to those year 13 students performing for the last time – Grace Chadwick (Sandy), Millie Trevett (Rizzo), Leah Turner (Doody), Alex Ashman-Hogan (Vince Fontaine) and Charlotte Dear (Teen Angel) who all spoke so eloquently at the end of the final show about their experience of the performing arts during their time at IGS:
Millie said: “My last show here has been so much fun. I have enjoyed every second. All the rehearsals and the trip to Ingleborough. But the thing for me that makes the shows so special is the people that do them. I have made so many new friends from performing in the shows, and I can’t believe we won’t get to do that again. The teachers work so hard to put these shows on and wouldn’t be possible without them.”
Grace said: “I am so lucky to have had so many opportunities to participate within the IGS productions right from the very beginning of my time at IGS, starting as a member of the ensemble in year 8. Every single performance is fuelled with energy and passion. However, playing Sandy in ‘Grease’ has to be my favourite production. I have made so many precious memories and friends who have made me feel comfortable and supported the whole time! I will truly miss each and every member of the cast and crew when I leave! In the words of Sandy ‘Goodbye to Sandra Dee”
IGS would like to thank the (literally) tireless Creative Arts Team – Miss Clift, Mrs Ramrattan, Dr Peters, Mrs Chapman, Miss Womack, Mr Grayson, Mr Clarke, Mrs Whitley and Ms Cox for their work to bring the production together as well as the 16 other staff involved and also the IGS PTA who sold snacks before the show and during the interval each night and who have also raised significant funds in recent years to enable the Creative Arts team to buy technical equipment so that the productions can run ever more smoothly.
To draw inspiration from the title track…
There ain’t no danger we can go too far
We start believing now that we can be who we are
Grease is the word!
Sometimes it really does feel as if the sky is the limit.
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