Pupils shine in musical theatre workshop

Pupils at Bitham Brook Primary School recently participated in an inspiring two-day musical theatre workshop led by West End performer Sam Clarke.

Year 4 pupils took part in the workshop, which was themed around Matilda, and showcased their efforts in a special performance attended by parents and Mayor Jane Russ.

Sam Clarke, who grew up locally and has starred in various theatre productions, including in the West End, is currently living in Amsterdam as she rehearses for an upcoming performance. Passionate about sharing her love for musical theatre, she hopes to bring similar workshops to other schools across the South West.

Supported by class teacher Lucy Thomas, Sam expressed her enthusiasm for the project. “We started at Bitham Brook with my passion for musical theatre and Mrs Thomas’ passion for teaching. It has been wonderful to see how the children not only grew as a team, supporting each other in learning lines, dance moves, and acting, but also developed individually and took on challenges they might not usually have the confidence for. We truly believe musical theatre has a huge positive impact on self-confidence and creative expression.”

Lucy Thomas added, “The children have worked so hard to honour the spirit of Matilda while making it uniquely theirs.”

Mayor Jane Russ, who attended the performance, praised the initiative. “It was absolutely superb. It makes me very confident about the development of children throughout the town. This is exactly the kind of thing they should be doing, and I’m absolutely thrilled to support the school, the children and the parents.”

The pupils shared their excitement about taking part. Poppie said, “It has been so fun learning all the dance moves and how to make our performance more professional.” Isabella added, “This has been a thrilling and exciting experience. I am so happy with what we have achieved.”