On Wednesday evening, Bedford Girls’ School celebrated the official opening of the new state-of-the-art Drama and Dance Wing; showcasing the wide range of activities that go on in the department such as production work, co-curricular dance lessons and A Level rehearsals.

The night began in the transformed Drama Studio with Miss MacKenzie, Headmistress expressing the school’s delight at how the refurbishment will help to strengthen the place of Performing Arts at BGS; subjects integral to helping to deeply root the school’s values of boldness, imagination and reflection.

Mrs Howe, Director of Drama and Dance went on to explain the aims behind the creation of an intimate and highly flexible Studio Theatre. And how it allows for the provision of professional standard training to foster a love for Drama and Dance; to develop an intellectual and creative understanding of these subjects as art forms and to lay a strong foundation for girls wishing to pursue the Arts professionally.

The impressive 360 degree Studio Theatre now has a modular seating system allowing the space to be configured differently for every production. It is equipped with cutting-edge technology, a digital lighting rig with one of the highest specifications for a school studio. These include a number of moving heads with full colour spectrum and integrated gobos, sound mixers that are accessed via iPads and excellent sound quality in each of the spaces, which have been acoustically treated.

Guests enjoyed a sneak preview of Dennis Kelly’s powerful play DNA, and then moved through the spaces to watch rehearsals and lessons taking place. These included the Upper Sixth A Level group rehearsing for their devised piece, Ballet and Modern classes in the beautiful new Dance Studio and the chance to operate the lights and play with the moving heads in the Control Room.

There was a real buzz about the evening as guests experienced first-hand the Performing Arts hub. All the guests greatly enjoyed the opportunity to interact with pupils and see how the new spaces are already raising their level of engagement and the quality of their work.