This weekend I received an invitation to watch LeAF Studio School's showcase production, A New World, at Lighthouse in Poole.
I jumped at the chance - and not just because it is the first opportunity I have had to visit a theatre in a very long time! My youngest, performance-mad son is 10, and the idea of one day attending LeAF has been on his radar for a little while now.
For those of you who aren't aware, LeAF is a school based in Bournemouth which provides education for 13-19 year olds, combining core curriculum with vocational studies in either performing arts or sport. For any young person with a serious interest in performance, it's the best place to learn your craft and get ready for the progression into college or working in the arts.
So it was with great excitement that we settled down to watch A New World, in the packed out theatre at Lighthouse. From start to finish this show was an explosion of energy, passion and sheer joy at being back on stage after all the disruptions of the pandemic. From crowd-pleasing musical theatre smash hits such as Copacabana, Mean Girls, Billy Elliot, Our House, The Addams Family and Bombshell, to super-slick choreographed group dance numbers, every single student got their chance to shine and and show off their talents.
And my goodness, did they work hard! The pace was relentless, the costume changes demanding and the show itself was well over 3 hours in length. Yet every single performer made it look incredibly easy and effortless, with a professionalism way beyond their years.
It seems incredibly difficult and unfair to select any favourites when the overall level of talent on stage was so phenomenal, but I adored the selection of numbers from Billy Elliot, and Sam Lane's performance as the boy who wanted to dance was just sensational.
The final 'To The Discotheque' medley had everybody wide awake with their jaws dropping as the students gave their all in an explosive performance of disco dance. The audience loved it, and a well deserved standing ovation followed.
Let's not forget everybody who worked hard behind the scenes to make this happen, and to the Studio team headed by Billie Aplin and Geoff Lake. LeAF have pulled off an incredible return to the stage with a dazzling production that was put together in just 12 weeks, compared to the normal 10 months they would have to work on a show of this nature.
To say my son was inspired is something of an understatement. He's talked about nothing else since seeing the show, and it looks like he may have set LeAF firmly in his sights for the next leg of his performance education. And after seeing such an incredible production, who can blame him?
The arts may have struggled through some dark times during the pandemic, but the future of theatre looks bright in the hands of LeAF Studio.
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