“The holidays can bring so many opportunities”

Congratulations to Mercy Annan in Year 11 who used her holiday time to gain excellent experience in the Performing Arts industry, whilst pursuing a great passion to perform.

Mercy took to the stage to perform as part of The Opera North project titled “Songs of Alchemy,” inspired by the renowned artist Bharti Kher. This 40 minute show, which showcased an immense number of talented young people, was a joy to watch when we returned to school.

Mr Flynn (her very proud Year Leader) said “It is so good to see students putting themselves forward for events in the holidays. We hope that many more are inspired by Mercy’s confidence and determination to have fun and chase her dreams. Well done Mercy!” (Photo credited to Justin Slee)

Performing Art
London Trip

Tuesday 4th June saw the return of the annual Performing Arts trip to London. We arrived in the capital city for around 2pm where we met Richard from West End Stage Tours. We then checked into the Royal National Hotel and walked to Pineapple Dance Studio to attend an intense Stage Combat theatre workshop. The students were phenomenal, learning fake slaps, hair pulling and choke holds to improve the quality of their performances back in school. Afterwards, we made our way back to hotel for a quick freshen up before a Pizza Hut tea. Congratulations to Vanessa for breaking the record, eating 20 slices of pizza, (minus the crust). With full stomachs we headed to Shaftsbury Theatre to watch Mrs Doubtfire, which was a fantastic show, showcasing the talent of performers on the West End. Finally, we walked our tired legs back to the hotel.

On Day 2 students emerged wearily from their rooms for breakfast at 6.30am. Once energised we set off on a lovely walk in the sunshine down to the river Thames to go on the London Eye and a River Cruise where we saw all the sights of London. Students had multiple selfie opportunities and filled their group chat with embarrassing photos, after which we set off for a short walk to Covent Garden for a food and gifts stop. To finish off our incredible trip we walked to the Dominion Theatre to watch the amazing performance of Sister Act. Students left excited and telling stories of the sights they had seen when visiting the West End.

We had a fantastic couple of days with some amazing students who were impeccable and represented the school perfectly throughout the trip. We could not be prouder of them and we hope they made fantastic memories that will last a lifetime!

Matilda – (MSM Show)

The start of March saw the culmination of months of hard work, as the curtains finally opened for our school production of Matilda.

With a cast of 84 students this really was our biggest performance yet! The students had spent over a hundred hours in rehearsals including weekends, after school and in the holidays. It is fair to say that their hard work truly paid off, starting with local primary schools on Tuesday afternoon, followed by three completely sold out shows, the students performed to an audience of over 1300 people in a week!

Feedback from the show can be seen below;

We are so proud of our amazing cast, in particular Katelyn Taylor who took on the lead role of Matilda and is only in Year 9. Her performance was breathtaking and she showed a great level of maturity in her preparation for the role.

In addition to this we would like to give a final thank you to our Year 11 students. Your performances were incredible and the ten of you were amazing role models to our younger performers. We are sure with the talent and commitment you have shown you are going to go on and achieve great things in the world of Performing Arts!

Finally, Mr Flynn and Mr Bromwich would like to once again thank everybody who helped to make the show possible. The effort from staff across the whole school was unbelievable, from ticket sales to props, from set to costume, the jobs were endless and the staff rose to the occasion. As well as all the support with the show the staff also donated over £600 to support with costumes for our students so that they looked amazing on the night, showing the true spirit of Quid Retribuam.

The students may now have returned to their classrooms, but they do so having made memories that will last a lifetime. The performing arts family has grown in numbers and will be stronger than ever as the students eagerly await the announcement of next year’s show.

What will it be?

Wait and see…..

For more photos of the event please click here to go to our photo gallery

Hamilton

On 24 January 26 students from Year 9 & 10 managed to achieve the enviable feat of being in the room where it happens. Students were transported to Manchester to watch the phenomenal performance of Hamilton.

From start to finish students were mesmerised by the talent on stage in front of them. The staging, costumes, singing and acting gave the students a real taste of what the very top of the performing arts industry is like.

The students were amazing and set a great example to other audience members. Students had so much fun on the day with one student even announcing when the show finished

“my life is now complete!”

The show provided tears and laughter for the audience but also hopefully the aspiration that one day they too could grace the stage and become a star.

Leeds Trinity University

Just before the Christmas holidays Mount St Mary’s took our biggest ever choir to the beautiful surroundings of Leeds Trinity University for their annual carol service. Students contributed to the service with a wide range of carols that had been months in the making. The acoustics of the chapel meant the harmonies sounded exceptional and it was a treat for anyone lucky enough to attend the packed-out service. Special thanks to our singing teachers and supporting staff who all worked together to ensure students were at the very top of their game. Watching the students perform next to the university staff choir made us so incredibly proud of the talent and hard work that they displayed.

Christmas Performing Arts Events

No Christmas is complete without Christmas carols, and this year our Performing Arts students did not disappoint. All through December, students performed in many forums spreading joy and the Christmas spirit within school and across Leeds.

A particular treat was the Christmas service delivered at Wellington Place, where students from Years 9-11 delivered traditional treats such as Silent Night, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Last Christmas. The students then travelled to the John Lewis Centre in the evening to take part in entertaining the community, raising over £300 for Leeds Baby Band and other school charities. Not happy with one night, they then returned to entertain Christmas shoppers again for a second night.

It was then time to return to home turf as students prepared an amazing showcase of talent at our annual Christmas Concert. This time they performed in two shows for staff and parents, creating a beautiful atmosphere inside the assembly hall, ensuring everybody could celebrate Christmas together as a school community.

We could not be prouder of their efforts and the commitment they showed to Performing Arts during this period, it really was a joy to watch.

Mr Flynn & Mr Bromwich

Leeds Baby Bank

Wellington
Place

A group of Year 9 & 10 students performed a collection of Christmas favourites at Wellington Place on Thursday 7th December, raising money for Leeds Baby Bank.

The enthusiasm and Christmas spirit shared through the wintry weather is testament to our students’ embodiment of ‘Quid Retribuam’.