Picasa Web Albums - Project 195

 Picasa Web Albums - Project 195  When Google produced Picasa Web Albums just over a year ago we saw an opportunity to raise the profile of digital photography in the school. We wondered if we could capture something of the life of the school by taking at least 1 photograph every day for the 195 days in the school year. Well we did it and there are now 528 photographs in five albums that represent the life of each of the five terms of the school year 2006-07. The photos are hosted on Google's service that allows us to be part of a larger social network. Our pictures are in the public domain and searchable by anyone who may be interested in us that has an Internet connection. During the course of the year Google developed the site and more software tools became available to allow us to embed slide shows and links in other web sites like this one. The reason we chose this facility was that it gave us an ability to add lengthy captions to the photographs to explain what is going on. Please look at our unique records

It's certainly not all singing and dancing though the performance arts that make the school so special are very well represented and an observer would soon realise just how many productions take place during the year. There are also pictures of the staff who make it all possible and many of the lessons that go on every day in National Curriculum and further studies subjects.

The majority of photographs have been taken by the project leader, photography and technology teacher Chris Lewington. Others have helped out and teachers and students have submitted their photographs at different times and the best have been selected and are part of the collection.

When people ask us about the school and what its like we now always point them towards this project. Chris hopes that we can continue this unique archive collection next year and with Google increasing the amount of free space we can use, I suspect there is no technical reason not to.

Visual Arts new photo gallery

To see our NEW online gallery full of our Glastonbury festival Leftfield Stage visuals, mini me textile installation, mural and St Giles community art workshop images...click here

The end of a great year

Its the last week of term and the last of the school year. Here is the slide show of the whole of term 5. Look at the days 191-195 as these were the festival scenes around the school that you may have missed.

Fat Content triumph in Buxton

After completing their course in May theatre students Danny Holme, Anna Beecher and Rachel Lincoln took their theatre companies new play to the Buxton Festival in Derbyshire. Their new play is called THE MAN I CURE and won the new writing award at the Festival. Their company, Fat Content, formed at the BRIT school as part of their course, and was recommended by 'The Guardian' newspaper as one of the companies to see in the Festival. For further information about Fat Content why not visit www.myspace.com/fatcontent. Congratulations to all at Fat Content.

It's Festival week

As we were saying.... Yeah! It's Festival week. Last week of the school calendar and students and staff work on a series of week long projects that all come together in a day of frivolity and fun on the Thursday (26th July). Here Assistant Principal, Stuart Worden reveals his vision for the week to his group.

Cool Chris sees off Marbella

Ex-Musical Theatre student Chris Dickson continues his rise as one of the brightest new football sensations in the country. Described as the next Ian Wright by many, he has now broken through to Charlton's first team and has got the fans talking.

Adrian Packer, Director of Musical Theatre said " Many of our students go on to successful careers in the performing arts. I'm often asked what it was like to teach those students. I hope soon I'll be asked as regularly what it was like to teach Chris Dickson. He came back to visit us recently. He was very grateful to the BRIT School because he said it prepared him for professional life. Having a number one hit in the charts is one thing, being prepared for life is another. We're very proud of him and I hope one day he'll consider playing for my club, Gillingham!" Read how Chris is using his musical theatre skills to keep up team spirits during their tour of Spain and how he scored the winner in Tuesday night's encounter with Marbella. Click here

Festival Goes Down the Avenue

Year 12 Musical Theatre students took their festival carnival to central London yesterday. They joined staff for an afternoon stroll along the the river, enjoyed the unusually good weather and took in the sights of the city. The afternoon ended with fun and games in the park, followed by an evening trip to the hit musical Avenue Q. Matt Elliot, the dpeartment's music and voice specialist described the show as an "energetic display of performance craft".

The Year 12 Musical Theatre students will join with their Year 10 colleagues in opening the BRIT School 2007 Festival with some amazing gospel choir singing in the school's Obie Theatre on Thursday. They will then take part in a performance installation event in other parts of the school. The whole day starts at 10am.

Year 10 in Brighton

Its nearly the end of a hardworking first school year for the Year 10 students and so a day out to Brighton was organised. Conor Vennard recorded the events and used his film editing skills to good use. See the video below

Festival Tickets available

Tickets for the 7th Brit School Festival are now on sale. the Festival day is this Thursday, the 26th of July. The day kicks off with a celebration of gospel in the Obie theatre and is a day packed of site specific performances, carnival dances, interactive art work, media projects and a finale music concert. It should be an exciting and creative day. Tickets are £2 for the Festival and £1 for the Music concert. The festival is a benefit for Oxfam as part of the schools dedicated year to this important charity. Tune into Brit FM 101.5 for more details. Tickets are likely to sell out so try to get your ticket as soon as possible.

What we do. Who we are.

Thanks for a great year everyone. Its Festival next week and then the end of one era and the start of another.

BRIT FM radio is up and running

BRIT FM radio is up and running again, broadcasting to the nation. Sarah Jones and Tanya Eddowes, year 12 media students, light up the airwaves. Tune in now on 101.5FM or on the net at www.britfm.org.uk
The station is one of the vocational achievements of the school so please try to support and be part of it. It will run 24 hours a day from this Wednesday (18th) until term ends. Highlights include The Golden Oldies show, weekdays at 4.30, and BRIT Lunch from 12 noon, which will feature many aspects of the school as we go into Festival week. The Breakfast show will feature many familiar voices from 9 am , and the Little Big Menu show will be staffed by 11 year olds from St Mary's primary school. Many other great things too, featuring students from across the Strands. Thanks in advance, too, for those who brave the microphones of our intrepid reporters.

Weekend radio

A huge well done to all those who successfully put on their radio shows yesterday and today, they were FANTASTIC! I have had so many people come up to me saying how much they are enjoying the station so a pat on the back to everyone who has contributed and will be over the next 10 days.

To all those reading I'm talking about BRIT fm 101.5 the BRIT schools very own radio station! Tune in any day of the week to check out some fantastic show with interviews, live music and much, much more.

Plus there are some special music shows at the weekend including a metal show by Sarah and Kristy and a Hip Hop music special run by Henna and Juliet and a special bangra show which should all be fantastic!

Have fun listening!

Strawberry Picking winners

Strawberry Picking is all over for another year. The 6th season of new writing in collaboration between year 12 theatre students and the Warehouse Theatre Croydon came to a close on Friday. The students played to packed houses and gained lots of good reviews from the audiences. If you saw one of the plays you could write a comment here. Ted Craig, the artistic director of the Warehouse said the students were "amazing, enthusiastic and very talented".

The Snow globe awards, hosted by compere man about town Simon Stephens, this year went to the following students and productions.....

• Best Performance by a male – Phil Elstob (for To Be Back There)
• Best Performance by a Female – Joy Bonfield-Colombara (for Harry’s House)
• Best Supporting Male – William Wood (for Stronger Than Heaven)
• Best Supporting Female – Louise Renner (for Wake Yourself Up, Sam, Wake Yourself Up)
• Best Director – Nic Wright (for Somewhere In The Sky)
• Best Playscript – Milly Prett (for Harry’s House)
• Theatre Department Award – Starlit Stroll by Hazel Killner, directed by Katie Edwards, with Daniel Burr, Jess Collins, Neil Duman, Charlotte Brignull, Milly Prett, Darren Holland, Clifford Gray, Martha Bishoff, Ray Burnett
• Audience Award – Down the Nag’s Head by William Wood, directed by Eric Abrefa, with Jack Pryor, Nathan Roberts, Nathan North, and Stephen Stepney
• Warehouse Award – Down the Nag’s Head by William Wood
• Outstanding Contribution – Clifford Gray and Daniel Beale
• Best Comedy Male – Mike Harrison (for Convenient Toilet)
• Best Comedy Female -Izzy Brookes (for Take a Seat)
• Audience Award – Down The Nag’s Head by William Wood
• Best Ensemble – Love/Hate, with Emma Baalam, Nick Burroughs, Clifford Gray, written by Jess Bell, directed by Fatima Serghini

Dance department explore Macbeth

On Thursday 19th you can catch the year 12 dance students in a physical theatre exploration of Shakespeare's Macbeth. This dark and sinister tragedy will be brought alive with contemporary and challenging dance technique. Students will be exploring text and voice in the performance too. It should prove to be an exciting night. Tickets are available form the box office on 0208 665 5242. performances are at 4.30 and 7.30.

Musical theatre workshops in local schools

Last Thursday (12th July) our Musical Theatre students triumphed by running workshops at local school Cator Park School for Girls. The workshops were part of the Musical Theatres' on going work with local schools. Their head of drama said this about our students:

"I thought they handled Year 8 really well today, they were motivated, enthusiastic and pleasant which really influneced our girls. The voice warm ups will prove most useful in the future. It was wonderful for Year 8 to see other young, dedicated students who clearly love thier subject"

Congratulations to all our students who were involved.

Rock the boat (2)

More pictures of our year 12 Music Students who performed for the BPI this week. See earlier post

Jay does MTV

Jay Revell former dance and yr 14 student and one of this years BRIT Idol panelists has been booked by MTV for adverts for three weeks.

He leaves for Munich on July 20th then Hong Kong,New Zealand finishing in Las Vegas; he then starts an internship with Fox Pictures

Rock the boat

Some of our year 12 music students performed at the BPI's annual "Rock the Boat" function on the Thames outside Parliament for the music industry and MPs. Earlier that day they performed at the BPI AGM in the International Mayfair Hotel. Catherine Briggs at the BPI said later "as always the students were a pleasure to work with and were on hand to help lugging equipment as well as give a stellar performance"

Festival 2007 is coming

Thursday the 26th July is the day for this years festival. It promises to be a great day of live music, performance poetry, site specific dance, musical theatre installations based on carnivals around the world and hidden and surprising art pieces that explore the history of the BRIT school. BRIT FM 101.5 will be broadcasting live and media students will be running projects in the foyer that you can be involved. All of this and ice cream and festival food. Only 300 tickets are available. They go on sale on the 23rd The day runs from 10-3. Let's hope there's less mud then Glastonbury.

BRIT school working with others

This week sees the BRIT school continuing to work with others. As part of our Leading Edge programme we are running drama workshops and performances at Lambeth Academy, music workshops at the school for Stanley Tech boys and a play developed by students from Selhurst High School for Boys is part of the Strawberry Picking season at the Warehouse. Musical Theatre students are completing lots of exciting community work including workshops at Cator Park Girls School in Beckenham and a very moving verbatim theatre piece at a home for the elderly in Dulwich. Were you in one of our workshops? What was the experience like? Put your comments here.

Success in Stratford

For the second year in a row theatre students have been invited by the Royal Shakespeare company to perform in their theatre garden in Stratford as part of their summer season. This year we took two plays and 40 students. A witty and lyrical Much Ado about Nothing resplendent with sailors and show tunes was followed by a bawdy and fast paced version of Twelfth Night. The RSC were so impressed that they have invited the students back next year. A resident of Stratford who came to the productions admired the "skillful and enthusiastic performances". Did you see the shows in Stratford? Were you performing? Add your comments here

BRIT at the Globe

Cush Jumbo a theatre student from the BRIT school from 1999-2003 is appearing from Wednesday the 11th at the Globe Theatre on the Southbank in their new production of Love Labours Lost. Cush was very succesful at the school gaining excellent GCSE grades and appearing in many plays including Semi-Monde and Velvet. You can stand at the Globe Theatre for only £5. A bargain. If you see Cush in the play why not send your comments to our web site. Good luck Cush

Strawberry Picking

The Theatre department take up their annual residency at the Croydon Warehouse Theatre this week (July 11th - 14th) with a season of new plays called 'Strawberry Picking'. The plays have been written and directed by our students and there is also a staged reading of the 'Leading Edge' play created with pupils form Selhurst High School for Boys. The plays look at powerful themes and are packed with theatre, comedy and good performances. You can get tickets from the Warehouse by ringing 0208 680 4060. All 12 plays are world premieres and will be performed twice over the course of the 3 day festival. The plays kick off at 1.00 p.m on Wednesday and run until Friday at 4.00 p.m.

"Being Creative"

The BRIT school's annual summer show was a great success at Fairfield Halls and the Bloomsbury Theatre. Taking the theme of "being creative" the show celebrated all the strands of the school. Audiences clapped and screamed their way through 60 minutes of song and dance and film and theatre and animation and musical theatre. Did you see the show? Did you perform? What was the show like? Which sections did you enjoy?. Post your views on this site by clicking the word 'comments' just below this line.

Kate Nash storms into the charts

Ex Theatre student Kate Nash is Number one in the charts with her single "Foundations". The song is also, significantly, number one in the iTunes Chart. The Sunday Times said recently that she was definitely one of the stars of the future and BBC 6 have described her as one of the most talented artists of the last 10 years. Kate rang the school this week to say that she was having a great time and enjoying life. She has just played at Glastonbury and her tour in the Autumn is selling out quickly. Kate is remembered well here. She gained distinctions on her BTEC National in Theatre and was a successful actor who appeared in productions such as 'Attempts on her Life' and 'Hamlet'. She was also in 'Changes'. After she finished at the BRIT school she returned to help with theatre lessons.

Ex-Student works with Justin Timberlake’s choreographer

Ex-Musical Theatre student Maleka Tenyue is producing a major new dance event in London called My Tyme to Dance. She has joined forces with Justin Timberlake’s choreographer, Marty Kudelka, to offer a one day dance experience where participants take part in workshops with Justin’s dance crew. The event is on Friday 6th July. Details can be found here

Spiral work delivers at the Clocktower

Over 2 nights six plays written by staff and students and featuring members of local communities created a warm and amazing atmosphere in the beautiful Braithwaite Hall at Croydon Clocktower. It was an astonishing and authentic crowd that cheered, laughed and shed the odd tear through plays that ranged from work with the under 5's to Alzheimer's, the homeless and ended with the extraordinarily moving yet uplifting work of BRIT students as they played out the stories of terminally ill people at St Christopher's Hospice. Everyone is on said the flyer.... Count me in.

MUSICAL THEATRE OUT AND ABOUT

This year the Musical Theatre students are doing three community projects. The first is a site specific performance piece at the Horniman Museum in Sydenham. They are also working with a home for the elderly where residents are telling students the stories about their lives; this style of theatre is called verbatim and allows people to use theatre to explore their views and opinions. The final project is following the long tradition the department has of working with other schools. This year they have been collaborating with Archbishop Tennison school who will be visiting the school today and tomorrow. If you'd like to do community work with the Musical Theatre department please contact Katy Sechiari on 0208 665 5242.