Last month, our Stage and Screen Faculty were approached to collaborate with Catcote Academy on their performance of Little Shop of Horrors, which took place in our Hartlepool campus theatre. The project saw our BA (Hons) Film, TV & Theatre Production students support with lighting, sound and stage management.

Catcote Academy is a local specialist provision providing education for 11–19-year-olds. Head of Stage & Screen, Stuart Drummond, said he was “really impressed by the scale and ambition of this project, which saw a full cast of learners take on numerous rehearsals and two fantastic performances with a full theatre set and live band! We were happy to provide the venue, and our capable technical theatre students, Liam, Lucy, Jorja, Lottie and Ollie, led by graduating student Edwin, made the Catcote students’ experience as close to a professional live theatre experience as possible.”

Cacote Academy students perform in costume at The Northern School of Art Lecturer Theatre.

Judith Chiverton, a Teacher at Catcote Academy, commented, “We would like to extend our sincere thanks to the Northern School of Art for their incredible support in bringing Catcote Academy’s production of Little Shop of Horrors to life. The contribution of your talented college students, particularly in providing and managing the sound, lighting and microphones, made a huge difference to the quality of the performance. Our students thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience, from rehearsals to the final show, and gained so much confidence and inspiration along the way. We are truly grateful for this collaboration and very much hope to continue and strengthen our links in the future.”

Reflecting on supporting the production, student Jorja Bell said, “I found working with the school a really interesting and fun experience, and it gave me an insight into what working on a musical production would be like. I really enjoyed operating the lighting during the performance and working with the DSM and lighting designers on my cues. I also helped bring the set into the theatre. Overall, it was a great experience, and I would love to work on something like this again in the future.”

Stu reflected, “Our growing partnership with Catcote Academy illustrates the importance of engaging with our local community and building aspiration in creative careers. It also actively demonstrates the importance of the arts in general as a creative outlet and a powerful means of developing confidence, communication and self-expression for young people of all abilities. The performance of Little Shop of Horrors was a joyous occasion, with lots of laughter and lots of proud tears!”

If you are interested in a career in film make sure you check out our dynamic degree programme today! Our collaborative degree immerses students in every phase of stage and screen production—from pre-production to post-production. Whether your passion is directing, producing, scriptwriting, cinematography, sound design, or editing, you’ll gain hands-on experience while collaborating with talented peers across our stage and screen faculty. Find out more here.