King's Arts Festival

In 2023 the King’s Arts Festival took place for the first time. The event was a celebration of culture and the arts across a five day celebration.

Pupils from Cricket Green School, Bishop Gilpin, St Mark’s and Merton Abbey primary schools collaborated with King’s pupils and alumni to take part in a massed performance of Ahoy! by Alexander L’Estrange in the King’s concert hall.

The pupils rehearsed over the course of
three months in preparation for the event which proved to be a wonderful coming together of
singers aged from 8 to 18 from across the borough of Merton accompanied by an instrumental
ensemble featuring accordion, piano, drums, double bass and violin.

The repertoire based on sea shanties and Tudor music was very accessible and the audience in the sell-out hall left humming the catchy melodies.

Aims

To celebrate the creative arts.

To provide a focus and a showcase for the creative projects engaged in by King’s pupils and their counterparts in local schools.

To share our staff's expertise and our facilities with the local community.

To give our pupils and their counterparts at maintained schools the opportunity to work with a professional theatre director.

Background

The King's Arts Festival was launched in 2023 as a five day celebration of culture and the arts. The festival will run each year with aims to increase partnership school participation and opportunity. 

Resources

The production needed the willingness of all the schools to provide timetabled time and staff and the availability of rehearsal spaces and a large enough venue.

Both teaching and non-teaching staff (porters, the theatre manager) are involved. 

The preparation for the production was 3 months. 

Frequency

Ongoing, every Friday + extra rehearsal times. This is an annual event in the school calendar.