The Sir Robert Woodard Academy: Students make an emotional return to the stage

It was a long-awaited return and, with all the disappointments and restrictions students have experienced lately, they pulled out all the stops to make it a show to remember.

The Mouse and his Child, based on the book by Russell Hoban and adapted by Tamsin Oglesby, was a magical story following a pair of clockwork mice who, after being bought from a toy shop at Christmas, are then discarded and have to go on a long perilous journey to find their home.

Characters the mouse met along the way included a trumpet-playing elephant, a seal saxophonist who fell in love with a kingfisher, a fortune-telling frog and a mischievous rat.

The show was a wonderful blend of comedy, pathos, dance, song and feelgood fun, all wrapped up in a beautiful doll’s house. It carried a message of acceptance, friendship and the importance and power of love.

Ms Annabel Venn, head of performing arts, said: “We are so grateful and very excited to be able to put on this production, which means even more than usual to our students after the disruptions of the past two years.

“There are many new students in the play who have not done any acting for a long time so this is an exciting milestone for them, getting back to what they do best, learning new skills and making new friends.

“We also have new students in lighting, sound and the backstage crew who are all very much looking forward to the challenge. We are very proud of them.”