By Mr Nick Akhurst, Head of Co-Curricular Drama, Dance and Technical Theatre

The Radford Theatre Company (RTC) is one of the busiest school theatre companies, with 5 to 6 main stage productions annually. These include productions in skill areas such as acting, dance and technical production (lighting, sound, set design, costumes, props, administration and promotion). At Radford, a significant amount of the design and implementation work is done by students and guided by staff. What they create is entwined deeply into Radford’s fabric and shared enthusiastically with our community.

Each production teaches something new and supports a cohesive community among performers, Tech Crew and audience members. 2025 started on a high note with the brightly coloured and hugely successful musical, Legally Blonde. From this, T.B. Millar Hall morphed into the dark streets of London with the Years 5-6 Production of Oliver Twist. Term 3 delighted audiences with several stage productions, including the Year 12 Revue, Years 9 and 10 production of Stories in the Dark and the Years 7 and 8 production of Grimm Tales. Throughout this time, students and staff have been prepping for the senior production of Hedda Gabler.

While drama and technical theatre students have been busily engaged in stage production learning and experience, dance students are likewise developing performance skills through weekly dance classes throughout the year, alongside various performances and competitions. Radford Dance Academy’s (RDA) year culminates in an exciting dance extravaganza concert spread over 5 nights.

The Senior Drama Technical Theatre curricular students and the co-curricular Tech Crew meet regularly in learning environments that enable students to learn and develop skills in technical aspects of theatre production. These valuable skills are transformed into work experiences with stage productions throughout the year. The Senior Drama Technical Theatre curriculum class, with the support of the Tech Crew, takes on leadership and decision-making roles, taking risks in theatre design elements and implementation to support performers and performances. These students work with professional theatre equipment and theatre practitioners to support the artistic nature of the College. With this, they develop project management skills and a resilience to ensure the show goes on. They also work with students of all ages, creating friendships and working relationships that transcend year groups and create memories that will last a lifetime.

At Radford Theatre Company, we value our community and team-based approach, which supports students to learn, develop and implement skills in realistic production settings. I wish to thank all the hard-working staff (over 60 in total), casuals and contractors, who sacrifice their nights, weekends and holidays to help students build and perform these works of art and allow our students to express themselves creatively. Many of the hours spent in rehearsals and behind the scenes by directors, choreographers, front of house people, ticketing, technical support, Tech Crew and actors is often unseen.

Thank you also to our wonderful audience members who support both the staff and students. In 2025, we continued to turn T.B. Millar Hall into a space that fits the standard of work created by our students. While the new retractable seating and individual seats didn’t arrive in time for the production of Legally Blonde, we could make use of them for the Years 5 and 6 production of Oliver Twist. The hall now feels more like a performance space and provides enhanced visibility for audiences and better highlights the technical and performance skills on display.

While we are coming to the end of the 2025 performance year, planning has already begun for 2026. Preparations for the Year 12 2026 Revue to allow auditions to begin in Term 4, and RDA dance class schedule is being developed. Those in the theatre never really stop; they just move onto the next performance!