Behind the Scenes at Jigsaw Sevenoaks

There is nothing like a show term to set the heart racing! It’s a chance to show off your vocal technique, brush up on those dance moves and celebrate all your hard work with a moving final performance. But what really goes on in the rehearsal room at Jigsaw Arts?  This week we caught up with the staff and students of Jigsaw Sevenoaks as they put the final touches to their end of term performance. What is the Sevenoaks show?

“Our show this term is called A Journey to the Past, and we can’t wait to show the parents all the hard work we’ve put in to making it,” says Alex, the school’s Manager. “I am very excited about it, actually. A show term never gets old! There’s always so much fun, suspense and excitement surrounding it.”

But what is A Journey to the Past all about? “Everyone wants to get their hands on the Precious Sacred Ruby Gemstone, but it’s also about making friends,” says Isabel from Group 3.

Well, if that storyline doesn’t leave you hopping with excitement, we don’t know what will! “I love the experience of learning new material and finding out what the show is about,” says Stanley in Group 2. “I love the songs that we are learning in singing and I like learning new dance moves. Also, the adrenaline that comes with performing in the show on the stage in front of everyone is great!” Amelia in Group 3 agrees, but pauses when she’s asked which of the three core subjects she likes the most; “I can’t choose, I love them all,” she says. “Drama is so fun and Nicole, our drama teacher is awesome!”

“It makes me feel so proud!”

It sounds like the rehearsal process is a lot of fun. Nicole, the (awesome!) drama teacher at Sevenoaks talks us through the rehearsal process. “On the first day of term, it’s all about meeting the children who are new to Jigsaw and using games to get the different groups to really work together as an ensemble. Then we workshop the script with each group and cast the show from that. Over the 11 weeks it’s all about rehearsing the pieces again and again until finally we put it all together with all three groups, adding costumes, props and lighting on the day of the show!”

That sounds amazing! But what’s the benefit of all this hard work? “I agree that there is a huge amount of work that goes into a show term,” says Alex, “but the benefits it brings to our students makes the whole process such a rewarding one. It’s so wonderful to see students who were so shy on their first day taking to the stage with their class mates, singing dancing and performing with smiles on their faces. It makes me feel so proud!”

“As a teacher, you always have goals for your students,” says Alice, the singing teacher at Sevenoaks. “Group 1 have been excellent this term, so we’ve been concentrating on integrating their acting with their singing so that they don’t come out of character when they sing their songs. Group 2 have been given a really tricky song, so my goal for them has been to really listen to each other as well as the music. Group 3 have also been doing really well! This term we’ve really tried to focus on making sure they have lots of energy when performing their songs as well as getting the harmony lines really solid.”

Jigsaw Sevenoaks’ Main School Students, like many of our other Jigsaw Schools, will be performing their show on the last day of term. If you are unsure about your child’s show date or time, please speak to your school manager or you can call our Head Office on 020 8447 4530 and our team will be only too happy to help.

Jigsaw Performing Arts is dedicated to developing performance skills, promoting self-expression and building confidence. We offer performing arts classes for children aged between 3 – 18. Find your nearest school by entering your postcode into the search on our home page.