Babergh District Council is working with the New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich for the sixth year running to give two students an opportunity to become theatre critics.
James Wade and Lori Thurston are both year 10 students studying at East Bergholt High School and are following the Applied GCSE Performing Arts course.
This project will support both their studies. Lori sees this as an opportunity to extend her knowledge and understanding of the theatre industry and to hone her writing skills, while James aspires to a career in journalism so will benefit from the chance to refine his writing style in a formal, professional context.
Their first review will be It’s a Wonderful Life - a musical based on the much-loved movie starring James Stewart which they will be watching this evening (15th).
The popular theatre scheme has also been widened out to include the west of the district for the first time.
Babergh will be working in partnership with The Quay Theatre, in Sudbury, to offer two secondary school pupils the opportunity to become theatre critics for a season.
The council has always selected pupils from across the district as critics but this meant them having to travel to performances.
Now Hanna Bunting and Florence Glanfield, both Year 10 students studying Drama at Sudbury Upper School, have been chosen for this year’s Quay critics scheme – which runs parallel to the Ipswich theatre’s scheme.
Jill Barton, Babergh District Council's Community Development Officer, said: “Both our students are really committed and I am looking forward to receiving some great reviews from them.
“The Wolsey is staging some fabulous productions this year and our students are in for a real treat.
“Our partnership working with the New Wolsey Theatre continues to grow and it is good to be able to give young people this fantastic opportunity.”
Andrew Burton, Head of Marketing at The New Wolsey Theatre, added: “The scheme has proved invaluable in providing the young reviewers with an analytical writing toolkit and the confidence to use it.
“It has also hugely benefited the New Wolsey by raising the theatre’s profile to young people in Babergh.”
It’s A Wonderful Life, which is receiving its world premiere at the Wolsey, runs from September 10th until October 3rd. For more information please call the theatre’s Box Office on (01473) 295900 or visit: http://www.wolseytheatre.co.uk/ ENDS
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