THE BROOKSBANK ARTHAUS MAGAZINE | ISSUE FIVE 2015

The Review

‘Road’ by Jim Cartwright

Set in a run-down, northern town in ‘Thatcher’s Britain’, we met Scullery, knocking back the rum and chatting up the girls. Road, Jim Cartwright’s first play, opened at the Royal Court Theatre in 1986 to huge acclaim and subsequently won the Samuel Beckett Award for Best New Play.

With no more than a battered couch, placed centre stage and a pile of dilapidated scaffolding, it was time for Drama students at Brooksbank to take the audience on a road trip into this hard-bitten world, peppered with some hilarious dialogue. Adam Crowther, as Brian; Jess White-Travis, as Marion; Ruby Carter, as Valerie; Phoebe McMahon, as Molly and, best of all, Conor Joy, as Scullery, all produced premium performances. The journey was a depressing tale of broken dreams, and a burning desire to escape. Yet, Conor and the cast of the characters, made for compulsive viewing. The whole cast rose to the challenge of producing some very strong characters. We didn’t feel uplifted but we did feel extremely grateful for all that we have and all the luxuries we take for granted. Riveting viewing everyone!

THE BROOKSBANK ARTHAUS MAGAZINE | ISSUE 5 | 2015

‘One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest’ by Ken Kesey

On the same bill, but by complete contrast, was ‘One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest’. The play features the lives of inmates and staff in a mental asylum. The strict, often brutal regime, is shattered by hell-raising Mac, and a destructive power struggle develops as he goes head-to-head with the intimidating dominatrix, Nurse Ratched. Known as ‘Cuckoo’ throughout rehearsals, Chris Rhodes recreated the role of Randle McMurphy, famously played by Jack Nicholson in the 1975 film version of the novel.

Chris’s powerful portrayal of Mac lit up the stage from the moment he walked on, and the sparks flew between himself and Big Nurse, archly played by Maria Gomez. Perfect foils completed the line up as Jack Hill played the mostly silent Chief – except for those moving monologues – and Nurse Flynn, played by Phoebe Baker, who displayed amazing characterisation and kept her accent rock solid until the bitter end. “A highly charged final scene left many of the audience in tears,” commented fellow actor, Sam Wharvell.

THE BROOKSBANK ARTHAUS MAGAZINE | ISSUE 5 | 2015

Year 10 have discovered their ‘metal-head’ thanks to Frank Darnley and his sculpture techniques in shiny, sheet metal. Many readers will be familiar with the two huge metal sculptures, Phoenix and Ram, which feature prominently at Dean Clough.

An eager class of wannabe sculptors have, very quickly, got to grips with Frank’s teachings and techniques. Getting to grips with specialist equipment and sculpting sheet metal have been part of this exciting experience, and a live demo of the “awesome” riveting machine packed a punch!

Geared up students quickly got down to planning and designing their own show piece with cars, lorries and an aeroplane being just a few of the ambitious ideas produced for development.

With projects chosen, students began the critical design process on large-format paper; this would become the blue-print for their piece. Following that, designs on paper were quickly transferred to expansive sheets of gleaming, silver metal. Cutting, riveting and constructing followed and some really impressive 3D models took shape. The results were stunning and everyone enjoyed this extraordinary opportunity sculpt in sheet metal.

Sculptors find their metal-head in sheet metal master class

Creating colour with Papa We were so pleased to welcome back artist, Papa Essel, to the arthaus for two days of painting and print-making. A lucky group of Year 7 artists were inspired by Ghanaian art and revelled in this cultural and colourful opportunity to express their feelings in words and symbols.

Students learnt the many techniques of print making, using delicately, patterned wooden blocks and lino cut-outs. They created bold prints on kente cloth - a silk and cotton interwoven fabric that is produced in Ghana.

Writing for Stage and Screen

Writing for stage and screen was the focus of an inspiring workshop for Drama students recently. Animation and drama script writer, Ian Pike and actor - director Stephan Finegold were on a mission to enhance students’ playwriting techniques. The fantastic workshop was organised by local Arts Centre Square Chapel, in association with Calderdale Theatre School.

Session one was led by Ian and explored the importance of storyline structure. Included was a group discussion and a demonstration exploring the ‘spine’ of the story. Ian put forward the theory; “If you can’t describe the plot in one line - the story will not work”.

Characters were the hot topic for the group as they looked deeply into how to make a character viable, interesting and believable on paper. To turn up the heat, everyone took part in a hot seating exercise! – a critical tool, when working on character development. Everyone will get the chance to run with all these tips and tricks in subsequent drama lessons; they will then go on to write a short play.

Session two put Stephen in charge and students created their own story boards and plotlines. Drawing on his experience as a professional actor and director, Stephen gave students vital feedback on their work as they focused on developing dialogue. Summing up the plot in just one word was one of the trickiest challenges of all! With plot, characters and storyline in place, some sparky scripts began to tick all the right boxes.

Students have an exclusive opportunity to submit their work to an up and coming playwrights’ festival. Seeing their play unfold live at Square Chapel will become a reality for the best pieces of theatre. Exciting stuff!

Four Yorkshiremen, enhanced the classic Monty Python sketch of a discussion about tea; “Oh, we never had a cup. We used to have to drink out of a rolled up newspaper,” started the ball rolling for Jack Hill, Chris Rhodes, Sam Rothery and Sam Wharvell who competed in the ‘poorer than thee’ stakes.

Later on, a flat-capped Karol Seroczynski moved everyone with his touching account of finding a warm welcome in his new home of Yorkshire.

The reight grand show was interlaced with quality music performances that took us back to our Yorkshire roots. Beginning with ‘New World Symphony’, we were soon thinking about all the benefits of Yorkshire tea, bread, biscuits and beer.

The indie folk ballad, ‘Yesterday’ Music’ (written and performed by Adam Crowther and Connor Fahey); ‘Last of the Summer Wine’ (played softly by the Concert Band); and ‘Gresford’ (the Brass Ensemble’s tribute to all those who perished down the mines) confirmed to everyone in the audience, the strength and breadth of musical talent at the school.

‘Yorkshire Style’, performed by boy band, The Yorkshireteers, provided a hilarious skit on Psy’s global hit, ‘Gangnam Style’, vying with the original for top entertainment.

It truly wer A Reight Grand Show!Summer shows at Brooksbank are always memorable, however, this celebration of all things Yorkshire was tight, funny and consummate. There was nothing ‘grim up North’ about this show, which has set a new benchmark in performing arts at the school.

The cast of Yorkshire Tykes felt empowered by Yorkshire’s gifts of dialect, grit and swagger. The audience knew they were in for a right treat from the off, as a cocky, Conor Joy sidled on stage, hands in pockets, with a ‘take it or leave it’ look on his face.

Northern grit and spot-on comedy timing were this show’s great strengths and we felt right at home watching the often hilarious and frequently cheeky sketches, which came thick and fast. Blackadder with a twist of Yorkshire, saw Toby Rogan, Casper Shaw and Matthew Whiteley retread the relationship between the mean-spirited Lord and his dim-witted donkey, Baldrick.

Josh Bean and Nick Raw proved to be inspiring show-stealers. Reminiscing about the old days, this plain-speaking, flat capped, duo certainly gave Pete and Dud a run for their money! They also dared to mock without mercy, their friend, Big Kev – the one who liked his ginger nuts!

There were more musical high notes in the second half. Kicking off with a rocking, ‘Love Me Again’ (performed by Rock School) we were eager for more show-stoppers! ‘Thinking Aloud’ and ‘I Predict a Riot’ (a nod to Sheffield’s, Kaiser Chiefs) worked a treat! This was rubber-stamped with ‘Even Song’ and the haunting ‘Speak Softly Love’ with delightful harmonies by the Chamber Choir.

Entertainment of a darker kind followed when A level Drama students, Phoebe McMahon, Lamece Varley, Adam Crowther, Phoebe Baker, Jess White-Travis and Connor Fahey stepped astride tap room chairs to express their own reworking of Cell Block Tango: the ‘First Tango in Halifax’. Murder motives included, mixing up types of tea, buying the wrong kind of biscuits and ordering a donner kebab at the local chippy! A fantastic, ensemble song and dance routine, packed with character development and gutsy delivery – we wouldn’t want to meet any of them in a dark alley!

The finale wer reight grand too! As the band played the introduction to that well-loved Yorkshire anthem, ‘Ilkley Moor Baht’ at’, the entire cast returned to the stage to let their hair down for a truly rousing rendition.

There was pause for reflection and to pay tribute to Jill Leicester who is stepping down as Director of Arts at Brooksbank. Jill has worked tirelessly on her mission to ‘bring the arts to Brooksbank!’ and for that we are all truly grateful. Goodbye and Good Luck to Mrs Leicester!

Our recent Music showcase aimed to bring as many first-time performers to Brooksbank’s main stage as possible. Unofficially themed, ‘Brooksbank Introduces’ - it did just that! “There was a total of 38 debut performances - a huge achievement and one which we are extremely proud of,” said Music maestro, Mr Cooper. “They all performed brilliantly, too!” he added.

Act One certainly started the evening with a bang! Our group of beginner rockers, Rock School, riffed their way through that modern rock classic, The White Stripes’, ‘Seven Nation Army’. Next up was Charlie Nuttall, a GCSE Music student. Charlie’s performance of ‘Mohair Mountain’, demonstrated why he has been accepted at Leeds College of Music to study Jazz.

Some of our most committed musicians of the year, only joined the school in September! Ewan Wheelwright and Joshua Handscombe, both talented clarinetists played the aptly titled ‘Duet’. Acoustic duo, Submergence, followed giving us a flavour of their superb talents. A Level students Connor Fahey and Adam Crowther enchanted the audience with their original piece; ‘Home’.

Continuing with our Brooksbank Introduces theme, we were delighted to see on stage euphonium soloist, Dulcie Fieldhouse. Playing a special arrangement of ‘Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair’, Dulcie plays solo euphonium with the Elland Youth Band. Following Dulcie, came two more debut performers, Erin Fairhurst and Olivia Sanderson who performed the beautiful John Rutter setting, ‘The Lord Bless You and Keep You’. Next up was Rebecca Jarman, a talented flautist, who reached the Regional rounds of the Rotary Young Musician competition. Rebecca delighted the audience with Joplin’s jaunty Ragtime number; ‘The Entertainer’.

Strong performances from Brooksbank’s army of musical talent!

Taking a break from our brilliant soloists, it was time to listen to two of our junior ensembles. First up, the String Ensemble with a performance of the theme from Wallace and Gromit. After that our brand new Woodwind Group gathered to serenade us with ‘Summertime’. Two more debut soloists followed: Joe Jamookeeah, a GCSE musician, who performed beautifully, ‘Bring Him Home’ from Les Miserables, and drummer, Jay Scone who performed ‘Love Me Again’.

The first act closed as it had opened, with another rock classic! Toes were tapping as we enjoyed Chuck Berry’s classic from 1958, ‘Jonny B. Goode’. Playing with confidence were Regiment, a rock band comprising of three Year 9 students: Theo Fieldhouse, on drums, Tristan Corrigan, on bass, and Oscar Shackleton, playing lead guitar.Opening up the second act, we welcomed our brass phenomenon, Brooksbank Blasts! Both Mr Cooper and Mr Robertson lead the ensemble for two pieces; ‘It Started with a Flourish’ and ‘Baroque Mood’. Next on stage came highly valued member of the Music Department, Catherine Reynolds. Catherine gave a beautiful singing rendition of ‘When She Loved Me’ from Toy Story 2. Joshua Rawson followed with a fine performance on the grand piano of Heinrich Hoffmann’s ‘Am Abend’, taken from his suite, ‘Stimmungsburger’.

Next to appear were our Choir singing their own arrangements of two recent pop hits ‘Stay With Me’ and ‘Happy Ending’. Next to perform was Ami Nichols. An accomplished singer, Ami performed ‘The Owls’ by Peter Jenkyns to the delight of the audience. Next up was yet another new ensemble, the Chamber Choir. They performed two contrasting pieces, a classical setting of ‘Evensong Prayer’ by Handel and ‘Speak Softly Love’ from the Academy Award winning film, The Godfather.

Then the mood, tone and tempo of the concert changed dramatically. Giving a brilliant performance and impressing the audience with their young skills, our Brass Group swash buckled their way through ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ and followed it with ‘Bare Necessities’ from Jungle Book.

The final soloist of the evening was one of our more seasoned performers; singer, Lamece Varley. Performing confidently, Lamece sang Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic, ‘Think of Me’, from ‘Phantom’. All good things must come to an end and as the curtain drew closer we welcomed on stage, our Concert Band. They performed enchantingly, music from Disney’s ‘The Lion King’ and we certainly felt the love that night!

Finally, it was time to let our hair down with some funk! Featuring Lauren Hambleton, Tim Rothery, Matthew Bean and Charlie Nuttall, our talented Key Stage 4 musicians found the right groove with Mark Ronson’s ‘Uptown Funk’. Our audience had been royally entertained by the prodigious musical talents of the students of Brooksbank!

THE BROOKSBANK ARTHAUS MAGAZINE | ISSUE 5 | 2015

THE BROOKSBANK ARTHAUS MAGAZINE | ISSUE 5 | 2015

Anthemic scores, movie soundtracks and a few high kicks, thrilled an audience of over 100 recently, at Brooksbank.

Beginning with a dramatic performance of ‘Finlandia’, we felt the passions of Finnish patriotism that stirred at the turn of the 20th century. We listened intently as the Phil expressed the dramatic and turbulent score. Towards the end, a calm came over the orchestra, and the serene and melodic ‘Finlandia Hymn’ emerged. The next piece to be performed was Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto in A major. With Jonathan Guy playing solo clarinet, we heard some beautifully delicate interplay between clarinet, flute, bassoon, horn, violin, viola, cello and double bass.

The second half of the concert brought three of the best movie themes and one of the most memorable children’s television theme tunes. Beginning with Hans Zimmer’s ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’, this much anticipated, swashbuckling romp was enjoyed by everyone in the audience.

From the rolling swell of the salty sea, the Phil took us to the iconic, palm-tree’d Tracy Island. Suddenly, it was ‘Thunderbirds are go!’ as the brass section ripped through this bombastic classic from the sixties. Barry Gray’s ‘Thunderbirds’ went off like a rocket and put a smile on all the faces in the audience ... simply, F.A.B!

Like puppets pulling parachute cords, we descended into the peace, tranquillity (and mischief) of the Shire for our next theme: ‘Lord of the Rings’. Lush and sweeping, dark and pounding, the Phil pumped up the excitement and pulled on the heart strings to deliver highlights from Howard Shore’s epic soundtrack.

Next up came John Williams’ brilliant, ‘Star Wars’ Theme! As the brass section hit those strident notes, it was wonderful to know that we were in the presence of a trombonist who performed on the original, sound track recording. “And he’s still the best trombone player in the world!” said a fellow musician afterwards.

For the next item, the Phil retuned to its classical repertoire with the triumphal ‘Pomp and Circumstance March’ in D Major by Elgar. Just when we thought it was all over, Jonathan Guy returned to the stage and the Phil pulled out another show-stopper. This time it was Offenbach’s ‘Can Can’. There were several ladies in the audience who were tempted towards some provocative high-kicks as the orchestra had fun with this cheeky, Parisian dance hall tune!Conc

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THE BROOKSBANK ARTHAUS MAGAZINE | ISSUE 5 | 2015

Squire Stage Combat’s Mark Ruddick came in to give Year 10 and 11 students a first-hand experience of creating stage combat. Mark is an accomplished combat actor and stunt performer who is no stranger to the world of battle. He has appeared numerous times on film, television and stage. We have all been excited (or terrified) by amazing fighting sequences at the movies … and this was a fantastic opportunity for our young actors to find out how this art is done safely and realistically.

Before this exciting workshop kicked off, students learnt the importance of safe-guarding both those performers and the audience too! Punches were soon being thrown, as students put into action two differing stage punches. Both the ‘parrot’ punch and the ‘round house’ punch appeared to be startling realistic! Safe kicking movements, sound effects and combat reactions, completed the repertoire of our stunt fighters.

Taking it to the next level, Matt introduced his protégés to several different types of sword used so memorably on such film sets as ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’. Students got to grips with the cut and thrust and the all-important ‘parry’!

Let The BattleCommence!

Next came mastering the art of the Canadian shuffle – a simple, but extremely effective, sequence of point movements, often used in theatre and on screen. Think: ‘Robin Hood’, ‘The Three Musketeers’ and ‘Star Wars’ (with light sabres, obviously!) Students enjoyed immensely working with a professional artist, to produce some exciting techniques!

“A well balanced sword is a good sword!”

Primary School Art Workshops

Shakespeare Schools’ Festival WorkshopLondon Theatre TripGym And Dance Showcase

Young Musician CompetitionShakespeare Schools’ Festival Performance

Christmas ConcertYear 7 Carol Concert

September - December 2015 Diary

SeptemberThursday 17th - Friday 18th

OctoberTuesday 6th

Friday 16th - Saturday 17thWednesday 21st - Thursday 22nd

NovemberThursday 12th

Tuesday 17th

DecemberWednesday 9th

Monday 14th

THE ARTHAUS | VICTORIA ROAD | ELLAND | WEST YORKSHIRE | HX5 OQGTEL: (01422) 374791

email: arthaus@bbs.calderdale.sch.uk www.bbs.calderdale.sch.uk