Ariel students from Steyning get a chance to shine

More than 140 students from the Steyning area (aged five to 19) took to the stage at Crawley's Hawth to perform their annual showcase.
Ariel performers demonstrate their skills. Stephen Candy PhotographyAriel performers demonstrate their skills. Stephen Candy Photography
Ariel performers demonstrate their skills. Stephen Candy Photography

The young stars demonstrated their skills in acting, dance and singing. They also took the audience on a tour of Broadway and the West End with some musical theatre pieces.

Cult hit The Rocky Horror Picture Show rocked the auditorium with ‘Time Warp’ and musical numbers from Peter Pan and Matilda provided the younger students with the opportunity to shine.

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Broadway hit Newsies saw the older students taking us back to the 1899 newsboys’ strike in New York City.

Then, the show was brought up to date with a heartfelt rendition of ‘Waving Through a Window’ from 2017 Tony Award winning Dear Evan Hansen, a musical about teen angst and social media.

Another modern masterpiece that had the audience captivated was ‘Whipped Into Shape’ from Legally Blonde.

The showcase also offered some great dramatic performances. These included thought provoking scenes from the National Youth Theatre play DNA, which explores bullying and peer pressure.

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Classic stories were brought to life, including the Australian Aboriginal tale ‘Min-na-wee – Why the Crocodile Rolls’, which tells the story of a troublemaking girl who was turned into a crocodile.

American classic novel Tuck Everlasting featured students of all ages, telling the tale of a family who discovered the secret of living forever...with sad consequences.

Ariel offers training for LAMDA examinations and three students were able to perform their monologues. The acting, voice projection and emotion were spot-on and the solo pieces were very well received. The youngest students captured the audience with a confident version of The Gruffalo.

In great voice from the youngest to oldest, students delivered great pop numbers including ‘Count On Me’ by Bruno Mars and Sam Smith’s ‘Writing’s On The Wall’.

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