Students across all three years of the International College came together on Friday 6th December for a gala Christmas performance at St Mary’s Hall Theatre. The first half saw all Year 9 and 10 students act, sing or play an instrument in a Pantomime version of Beauty and the Beast, with the music and drama teachers working hard with them to perform roles that showcased their individual talents.  

One particular highlight was the Year 9 group who colloborated as singers, rappers, dancers and instrumentalists to perform ‘Be Our Guest’ as recorded by Disney’s The Descendants. Egor shone as the band’s lead singer and as a glitzy Dame Peekaboo. Ladia was a natural on stage in her role as ‘Beauty’ and Mikhael as ‘The Beast’ knew just how to get the audience on side, culminating in cheers and laughter when he transformed back to a Prince. Anson took his role seriously, and his outstanding costume and facial expressions were beloved by the panto crowd.

Throughout the pantomime, dancers, bands and soloists from the IC provided musical interludes and entertainment, with Yuantong fronting the Year 11 Band for ‘My Favourite Things’ (Beauty’s party waltz), Tamara setting the atmosphere for the storm scene with ‘Once in a December’ and the IC Band getting the closing wedding party started with the Shrek version of ‘I’m a Believer’.

In the second half, a range of bands, musical ensembles, duos and solo acts from the College raised the roof with songs from Disney films, opening with an all-percussion ‘Under the Sea’ and counting as the highlight a choreographed version of ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’ from Encanto.

Each and every student involved helped to make the show a joy to watch, and the ideal end to a hard-working term at the IC. Special congratulations must go to those students who had never performed to an audience before.