Lancing students take end-of-year production online

Sir Robert Woodard Academy decided the show must go on – and resolved to take their end of year production online.

The ambitious project has seen the team create a full length audio production of William Shakespeare’s Star Wars Verily, A New Hope, by Ian Doescher.

Students have created makeshift sound booths in their houses using cupboards, small rooms and space under the table to record their lines onto phones.

Annabel Venn, the director of performing arts at the school, said: “Our students are used to rehearsing flat out at this time of year and this situation has been so upsetting for some many, along with the fact that students that have now left didn’t have the chance do their final performances, so we have evolved and adapted just like everyone else is having to in these unprecedented times to keep us together.

“Online rehearsals have been a lot of fun and a great way for the students to fill some of the lockdown time.”

Year 13 student Oliver Chenery has single-handedly taken on the animation for the project.

He said: “I think doing this audio production has to be the biggest project I’ll do in my lifetime – it’s been such an honour to be given the chance to edit and put together not only the audio, but also the visuals for this classic story, as this is something that I am going off to do at my University this September.

“Doing online rehearsals and read-throughs has been a new thing for everyone, but we have all adapted and made light of these strange times by bringing our drama community together.”

The production will premiere on SRWA Productions’ YouTube channel on July 15.

A message from the Editor, Gary Shipton:

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news, I am asking you to please purchase a copy of our newspapers.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspapers.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

Stay safe, and best wishes.