Showtime – A Gala Evening of Song and Dance

During the penultimate week of the Lent Term, it was once again showtime at Wellington College International Tianjin. Devised, produced and directed by the family duo of Mr. Steve Griffiths and daughter Jane, Showtime - A Gala Evening of Song and Dance included famous song and dance routines from some of the most spectacular shows on the international stage. Involving a cast of over 90 pupils from across the Junior and Senior School, performances were staged in the Seldon Theatre at Wellington College International Tianjin. Mr. Stephen Griffiths – Producer of Showtime and Director of Performing Arts at the School describes what the 2016 performance of Showtime was all about: “This year's show was a departure from previous productions in that the programme was devised to include excerpts from some of the world's best known musicals, as opposed to the presentation of one named show. Feedback for the show has been really positive, with audience members having mentioned how this show offered so much in terms of variety and pace. In contrast to a more conventional musical, this year we felt that we needed to challenge our pupils and staff by putting together a performance that contained real diversity, allowing all our performers to perform more than one role from more than one musical. “As has been the case in previous years, we wanted to include as many students as possible from different age ranges and we ended up with 90 in total. We wanted also to include a significant staff involvement to work with and alongside the pupils and, yet again, we ended up with more than ever who were prepared to put themselves through their stage paces.” In addition to being a wonderful annual community event that allows the School to open their gates to the general public, the musical is a quite unparalleled learning opportunity for junior pupils to perform alongside both senior pupils and teaching staff. The stage continues to remain an integral part of the learning process at Wellington, with chances to express oneself confidently in public being a hugely important tool in the overall development of any pupil: “Opportunities like these are crucial when trying to nurture and inspire individual talent and excellence to emerge in the field of performing arts. Both Jane and myself were astounded by the commitment and enthusiasm of all those in the production, an event and experience which demonstrated disciplined and concentrated teamwork.” In harnessing the enthusiasm and energy of young performers performing alongside a dynamic and committed teaching staff, the School yet again produced a visually-spectacular and thoroughly rewarding musical performance, memories of which will be cherished for years to come. To read the full list of performances staged during Showtime, you can download the performance programme Here