Young people of Alness had a blast at the first ever Alness Youth Theatre Pantomime, held at Alness Academy and hosted by Active Schools and Youth Development volunteers. Primary school pupils joined senior students from Alness Academy to deliver a magnificent modern performance of fairy tale classics – humorous and entertaining throughout.
Having become a High Life Highland Active Schools volunteer following lockdown, Cathey Reece has dedicated many hours to delivering weekly youth theatre club games and learning opportunities for children in P5-S4 at a regular, after school club.
Creatively developing a script, Cathey ensured that each child played an important role within the story line and coached each of them to use their voice and body to portray the story with confidence. Each child admirably took on their part and bravely displayed their acting skills on stage earlier this week (Wednesday 11th December).
Stage presence, confidence and teamwork were clear developments from each child as they performed on stage, something that some children may not have done before joining the club!
Cathey commented: “Working on the pantomime has been so fun, and I’m so grateful to Active Schools and the Youth Work team for facilitating the drama club. Our seniors missed out on many opportunities they would normally have in P6/7 because of lockdown, so most of them would have never done anything like this before. I could not be more proud of them. I can’t wait to see what they come up with next time!”
Over 150 people came to watch the pantomime including Head Teacher of Bridgend Primary, Victoria McCarthy. She said: “It was a fantastic pantomime. The children looked and sounded great and it was lovely to see so many Bridgend children sharing their talents. It was also lovely to see children from across the schools including the Academy work so well together, supporting each other and having fun. Well done to everyone involved and I look forward to next year.”
