As we all wandered into the Arts theatre for our final year, we chatted about our holidays, whilst waiting for our teacher to arrive.

We were all quite excited at what we would be doing in Performing Arts this year. We were all full of hope, then, Mrs Press stood before us, just as she had done when delivering the news of Cinders to us. All of us were itching to know, “this year we are doing,” yes . . . “Romeo and Juliet!” What? No! Shakespeare why?! Well the suspense and excitement had definitely gone, but wait! There’s more. “You’re performing in November.” What? This was too much for us to take in. Let’s just say we did a lot of double takes in that lesson.

So the work began just as it had for Cinders. The dynamics of the group had changed slightly, so the six actors fought it out for their roles. It was a hard decision for Anton and Darren to make as to who would play Romeo, or in other words who would be wearing the tights! With Darren deciding that he wasn’t the romantic, and Anton believing he would look the best in the tights, Anton became Romeo and Darren the Friar. Whilst Anton got his measurements taken for his costume, again by the talented costume designers, the rest of the actors began their scenes.

So the group of thirteen hmm, bad number, dished out the roles and the jobs. I say this as if we were efficient and got to it at once, but no I am talking three weeks before the performance.

With six actors, one singer, four dances and two costume designers, rehearsals began. At least we weren’t doing the whole play…

In preparation we had two workshops, a stage fighting one, teaching us how to beat the hell out of each other… pretence of course! The workshop also entitled us to fight with swords or in some people’s case sticks as there weren’t enough swords to go around. We then participated in a dance workshop showing us how to prance about Elizabethan style, it is clear apart from the actual four dancers that none of us can dance at all, stepping to the left, then to the right and back again, trying to remember the steps, counting in our heads, most definitely inspiration for a comedy sketch.

We began acting together and preparing the scenes. As the day loomed closer the set design was planned and then changed the lights turned on and the tickets printed.

As we all worked in our groups, trying to perfect our scenes – or actually remember them and the lines to go with them the play slowly began to come together. I have to say that the moans, sighs of pain and grumbling that had come from producing Cinders had at least tripled. “You have to show the audience you understand the lines you are delivering,” Mrs Press explained to us, it’s a good job that we’re actors as I personally didn’t have a clue.

The night before the performance the actors stayed to practise a scene. Jess who was playing Tybalt trying her hardest to die like a man, unfortunately her girly scream was giving it away slightly. Practising that, when stabbing Charlotte, the sword didn’t go past her arm and actually trying to get Anton to put the sword down was in itself a mammoth task.

So the day of the performance, the Performing Arts students greeting each other with, “It’s tonight.” Followed closely by, “Do you know your lines?” Period five, where can you find most of the students? They were in the common room sewing ruffs to go round our necks. As the panic set in we walked over to the Arts Theatre for our final rehearsal.

With butterflies starting to set in, we rushed through our practice so that we could order our traditional pizza delivery. So at 6 pm we all sat in C116 eating our pizza, talking about ghosts, strange topic but anything to take our minds of the fact that we were only an hour and a half away from performing.

Suddenly a shriek, “People are here,” someone announced as we sat not ready in C116 everyone hurried getting ready, the audience unaware of how manic everything was backstage. We all got into position and gave it our all. Everyone had put so much work into it. As we came on stage the singer sang the dancers danced and the actors acted.