Hailsham College Takes To The Stage

2 February 2011, 18:55 | Updated: 16 February 2011, 12:35

Later this month, the College will be performing On One day at Eastbourne's Devonshire Park Theatre. This is the message the students sent us

We would like to introduce you to Hailsham Community College Performing Arts. The group runs from the Performing Arts Department at the School, and gives children from the school and the community the chance to widen their skills and confidence through performance.

We aim to get young people involved in creating and putting on their own shows, giving them the chance to experience the big stage.  As well as promoting HCC in a positive way, our projects give the participants an opportunity to showcase their own huge creative and artistic talents in the field of Dance, Drama and Music.  

The show we are taking to Eastbourne's Devonshire Park Theatre in February 2011 was inspired by the Cuckoo Trail, formerly the Cuckoo Line.  In rehearsal the young actors explored stories surrounding the evacuees who travelled that very railway line in the 1940's, leaving their families to experience a new life away from their homes.  Gradually a narrative evolved and through improvisation and exploration the story of On One Day came about.  The script was refined, songs and music composed, and a wonderfully original piece of musical theatre was created through the collaboration of teachers and young people.  

The story is about a young boy from London, sent to the country to escape the threat of attack. Like many children, he finds himself having to deal with situations way beyond his years, and this is where our story starts.  He's separated from his family, and sent to live with strangers, whom he has never met, only to find that they mistreat him, work him like a slave, and force him to sleep rough.  He feels alone in the world, but meets a young local girl, whose family takes him under their wing, offering to give him a home at their farm. The story unfolds into a moving account of life seen through the eyes of the child, and how they have to adapt and grow up very fast to enable them to cope in a world gripped by war.

In February 2010 the show saw its premiere at Hailsham Community College.   The performances, charged with emotion were so well received, and a sell out success, that everyone who saw it said the children must share this with a wider audience.  Mark Dabernig (Director of Learning for Performing Arts) and Paul Harrison (Music teacher) felt this was a fantastic opportunity for the children, a chance to show the community how talented and creative our young people can be when given the right environment and circumstances.  This is an event you will remember for a long time.  Come and enjoy a truly original work, and experience a connection with a former era.  Let Hailsham Community College Performing Arts take you back in time.

The show runs from the 16th - 19th of February, Contact the theatre or the college for ticket details