“I was delighted to have the chance to create a fresh and new musical, one that would allow me the creative licence to showcase a variety of musical extracts from some of our favourite musicals. This would be the first-ever Blue Coat musical to be streamed live and would highlight extracts from Les Misérables, Oliver, Hamilton, Come From Away, Jersey Boys, Joseph and many more. Having to work in year group bubbles meant that selecting appropriate musical extracts was an exciting opportunity to showcase musicals old and new.

This musical production consisted of 27 performances from 14 different West End musicals, with over 130 members of the Blue Coat community working tirelessly to bring the show-stopping spectacular to our digital stage!

In light of the social climate, I found it important that we as a school community were able to give back, and in particular try and support the many individuals who were out of work as a result of the pandemic. The musical aimed to support the Royal Theatrical Fund, to help the actors, dancers and West End performers and crew who had been unable to work through the Coronavirus pandemic. While we would usually ask audiences coming to a Blue Coat production to pay for their ticket, this year we asked our virtual audience to make a donation to the Royal Theatrical Fund. As a community, we were able to raise £3,086, which we were immensely proud of.

Even though we were working with a new digital medium, I was thrilled with the final outcome, and although audiences watched the production in the intimacy of their own homes, I know the audience was left energised, having loved a fresh take on a night at the theatre. Highlights for me were most definitely the large ensemble dance routines, in particular the moments from Hamilton, Come From Away, and Matilda, which were a visual feast for the eye.

The Show Must Go On! was a full team effort and I am extremely grateful to have worked with the production company I have. To my fantastic cast and production crew, this show is a reflection of your expertise, dedication and passion to create theatre of the highest standard at Blue Coat, even when having to reinvent how we do this.”

Mr Devin Möller
Director of Drama