Year on year, the RGS Music Department comes together to put on a fantastic musical theatre show, giving students both within and locally a great opportunity to try something new or take up their passions for singing, acting and dancing. For several productions now, the department has welcomed director Becky Harrison to push the students and form a professional showcase, with productions ranging from My Fair Lady (2017) through West Side Story (2019) to last year’s phenomenal The Producers (2023).

This year, things are about to get green with the arrival of Shrek the Musical, coming March 2024. Rehearsals are now underway with a variety of new talent being pushed to principle cast to fill the boots of some amazing performers over the last three years. With this being Becky’s sixth RGS production and new Head of Music Natasha Jashari joining the fold, we’ve decided to attempt a new side adventure to bring the production process to you as it progresses.

This year, alongside a filmed recording of the show, we will be releasing a special “Behind the Scenes” documentary so you can witness all the stages the show must tackle before it reaches the stage. This will include interviews with the production team, principal cast, tech team, band, costumes, ticket sales and many more areas. Hopefully, this can give young people an idea of what they are walking into when they sign up for an RGS show in any area. As well as this, along the way, we will be sharing promo videos of the production here and on social media to keep you up to date with the production schedule and play some games with the cast.

Having acted in the RGS productions during my time at the school (In the Heights 2021 and School of Rock 2022), I know how eye opening the experiences from auditions to rehearsals to show nights are. I formed several amazing friendships across year groups and schools and was even asked back to tech for The Producers a month before opening night. The community built up around the shows are fantastic environments and my aim is to bring that to parents, supporters and future actors and crew. After leaving the school in 2022 to pursue film and TV rather than progress to Sixth Form, I was delighted to have the opportunity of returning. This time, I want to find the stories of everyone involved, not just cast and crew. In this documentary and promos I’ll put my studies to good use.

RGS productions deserve the spotlight and this new adventure will open the doors to everyone to get involved, hear from the production team and discover the hidden aspects that make the show happen. So, keep checking weekly for new videos and join us in March when the show is ready to sit back and enjoy.

Nick Warner, @GonkFilms05 – RGS Alumni and Film Student