All-singing-and-dancing schools at Whitley Bay

Whitley Bay Playhouse saw more than 200 young performers take to the stage for a musical celebration of the partnership of their schools.

Organised by St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy in Bedlington, the Partnership Celebration Performance brought together around 220 dancers, singers and musicians from the Bishop Bewick Catholic Education Trust’s member schools.

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Besides St Benet Biscop, participating schools included St Aidan’s in Ashington, Ss Peter and Paul’s in Cramlington, St Robert’s in Oldgate, St Bede's in Bedlington, and St Wilfrid’s in Blyth.

Louise Maughan, Rachel Anderson, Nick Gibson and Rob Dunbar, who are all part of the Performing Arts Team at St Benet Biscop, organised the event, which included a range of songs, dances and musical performances.

“The Partnership Show is an opportunity for all partnership schools to showcase their talents and it allows the students to perform on a professional stage,” explained Mrs Maughan.

“The show is not just a dance show, as it showcases pieces that the schools have put together, which could be song and dance or musical numbers – St Robert’s was performing a ukulele piece, and some were doing pieces from musicals as their performances.

“There was not a particular theme for the show. It is about the celebration of talents, and this comes in a wide variety of formats.”

The annual event has been running for over a decade, and this year’s production  took place in front of a packed audience of friends and family members.

As well as individual performances across the evening, the 223 participants came together for a closing piece from Matilda, with everyone on stage singing and dancing for the finale. 

“Schools were rehearsing over the past few months and had been sent a video of the finale dance from Benet Biscop so that everyone had learnt the choreography,” added Mrs Maughan, “and we all came together on the day and rehearsed together.”

“The students benefit from taking part in this kind of performance, because it brings them together as a group and allows them to perform on a professional stage and develop their skills,” she continued. 

“It also takes some of the students out of their comfort zone and pushes them to develop their communication skills, which is really important in today’s society, and when we rely so much on technology.”