Burnham-On-Sea youngsters at St Andrew’s Junior School took to the stage this week for their annual Year 6 Leavers’ Production, delivering a performance of Gladis Baker, Gladiator that drew warm applause from families and staff.
The original story follows the journey of Gladis, a badly treated orphan who rises against all odds to claim the Imperial Baker title in the Colosseum.
The children brought the tale to life with humour, energy and a clear sense of teamwork, filling the school hall with colour, character and plenty of proud smiles from the audience.
Staff say the production is designed to give pupils a full taste of what goes into staging a large-scale show before they move on to secondary school.
The youngsters have spent recent weeks learning about costume and prop management, stage entrances and exits, backstage organisation and technical skills such as voice projection, body language and expression.
The project also ties into the school’s ongoing work with the Voice 21 programme, which promotes Oracy and helps children develop confidence in speaking and performing.
Year 6 teacher Jim Gillard said the cast and crew had embraced every part of the challenge. “We are very proud of their performance.”
”We are not a specialist drama group and we pride ourselves on our inclusivity and the opportunity for all children, whatever their theatre background or interest, to take part,” he added.
He added that the production had given pupils a valuable chance to work together on a communal project at a key moment in their school journey, marking the end of their time at St Andrew’s with a shared achievement they could look back on with pride.
