Over the years, Cheam has produced an array of fantastic senior shows including Twelfth Night, West Side Story, Going Postal, Oliver! and, most recently, Skellig. Pupils from Years 8 through to 6 are offered the chance to audition and take to the stage in this, our biggest production of the school year.
Skellig by David Almond
“The performances were breathtaking in their maturity”.
“...Almond’s novels are known for their ‘magical realism’, a style of writing that blends magical elements with reality to create a world that is familiar and yet strange. It was this element of Almond’s writing that was captured so perfectly in Suzanne Debney’s production of Skellig.
Although the set was beautiful to look at – the old garage full of cobwebs, dust and junk – it was also minimal and very improvisational. It was the actors’ imaginations that brought things to life: the bus to school made up of a few rectangular window shapes and a steering wheel; actors holding props such as the toilet in the dining room or the gate to the danger house. With this approach the actors need to trust and rely on each other and it was obvious that the company had worked hard to perform with this level of slickness. The diction of the 29-strong cast was very impressive and every word was delivered clearly which helped to speed the story along.
The word ‘extraordinary’ appears several times in the play. It is certainly the most appropriate word to describe Cheam School’s production of the story. Extraordinary on every level!...”
Oliver & West Side Story
