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FROM THE PREP 23
The Lion King
The Pridelands of Africa came to life at Bancroft’s Prep
School with a visually exciting production of Disney’s
iconic
The Lion King Jr
by our Prep 2 pupils in May.
This was a massive and ambitious undertaking, and preparations for the
production were thorough. Firstly, the children watched a performance
of
The Lion King
at the Lyceum Theatre in January this year. Anna
Healey, an actor and movement specialist, ran a session at School
teaching the children how to mimic the various characters’ mannerisms
and behaviour in the show. The children were also treated to a
workshop with actor Roger Wright, who played Simba in the original
West End production of
The Lion King
in 1999. Much to the delight of
the Prep pupils, Mr Wright also attended the final performance when
he met members of one of the two talented casts. Mr Wright was most
impressed by the production, saying “I had such a joyful experience
watching Bancroft’s Prep’s production of
The Lion King
: superb cast and
awesome talent. I foresee some stars in the making!”
Two casts each performed well-loved songs like
Circle of Life
and
Hakuna Mutata
to packed houses, over two, hugely successful, nights.
All four performances were sold out. The production involved every
one of the 63 Prep 2 pupils in some capacity as well as a choir made
up of younger pupils. It was directed by teachers Laura Phelps and
Allison Moor, with Adam Baum as Musical Director.
The pupils were all very enthusiastic about the production and
their roles. James Hitching who played ‘Ed’ the Hyena, said: “As
we got closer to the performance it got more and more exciting.
Performance week was exhilarating!” Kofi Adjei (King Mufasa) said,
“It’s been really, really fun and it’s taught me a lot”. Vicky Philps,
Prep School Governor was fulsome in her praise, “What a wonderful
performance! As always the children were inspired and inspiring, with
so much energy and talent.”
Prep School Thinks “Outside the Car”
For a week in the summer term, members of
Bancroft’s Prep School and their parents were
encouraged to “Think outside of the car.”
The initiative was the idea of the School Council who urged the 300
pupils and staff to make at least a third of their journeys to and from
School green. Children and staff were asked to walk, cycle, car share,
take a bus or ‘park and stride’. The target was surpassed as, of the
3,000 journeys made last week, a fantastic 60% of them were green
(and that was during a rainy week!) Head of Bancroft’s Prep, Joe
Layburn led by example by riding to School on his tandem, sharing
saddles with School Council member Aryan Kundra. Aryan said that
this was a new experience for him. Although he is used to riding his
own bike, he doesn’t usually ride on busy roads in rush hour traffic.
In addition, Prep 2 pupils were on duty outside School encouraging
parents who had driven to be good neighbours and to park their
cars with consideration during the school run. Prep Head, Joe
Layburn said, “We know that traffic issues around the Prep School
cause frustration and inconvenience, they also make us seem like a
bad neighbour to local residents. We’re hoping that ‘Think Outside
the Car Week’ will continue to go well and that we may be able to
effect some long term changes in the way people travel. We believe
this will be good for the environment and for everyone’s general
health and well-being.”