In the theatre capital!
Masquerade students share their fantastic experience!
Ema M. Attard, 13,m writes:
London! We were actually in London! We were right in the middle of where all the action happens! There is only one word to describe this experience. Wow! We were stunned by the beautiful scenery, it was so picturesque! At the hotel we got ready for the most amazing and powerful musical showing in the West End, Wicked. It was breathtaking! After a few days of sightseeing, we geared up for the play. We rehearsed and watched a few other plays. On the day of the performance, everyone was on edge. Backstage, while doing a line and cue, the tension was building. However, on stage everyone just gave 150 per cent and enjoyed it. Performing at the Arcola Theatre was fantastic and our English audience was great. Our trip was without doubt an experience and a half!
Anna Micallef, 12, writes:
We were very lucky to have the chance to perform abroad and compete with foreign drama groups in the NT Connections Program. It was amazing working with professionals and receiving feedback from our audience. The fact that we spent four days together made us all realise how much we didn't know about each other, despite all the hours spent working together! The trip was definitely an enjoyable one. We visited the Globe Theatre and the modern Victoria and Albert Museum. The trip to London was and will remain an unforgettable experience.
Celine Xuereb, 13, writes
London was amazing. It was my best trip ever. Pineapple Studios was a great experience which taught us a different style of dancing (street dancing) and also hip-hop. It helped us develop a new style of dancing which for me is great. I loved it! Arcola and the show went pretty well and had a great time working in a new space. London is beautiful, especially during the night. The Globe Theatre is really nice, I never imagined it was that nice. It was an amazing experience where we also met other theatre students of approximately our age. Thanks for everything and for a great trip!
Alexander Gatesy Lewis, 12, writes:
I will never forget the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity I was given. I got to perform in London with Masquerade Theatre Arts School. Wow! What an educational and exciting trip it turned out to be. It was such an experience performing overseas with 22 other bubbly students, not to forget of course, the four cool accompanying adults.
However, this was not the only high of our trip. We had the best seats at the Apollo Theatre for the latest phenomenal musical Wicked, which stunned us all. A morning of sightseeing, a visit to the V and A museum and the Globe Theatre were a hit for all of us. But the greatest surprise was an afternoon dance workshop at the well-known Pineapple Studios in Covent Garden, which I just loved! We were all thrilled and worked so hard with our three tutors, perfecting street and hip hop routines. All sweaty and still full of energy, we simply wanted more. This was certainly an unforgettable opportunity and a great bonus for all of us!
The day of our performance was the most fantastic experience ever, followed by a great evening too. The theatre was packed solid and the audience seemed to enjoy our performance, reacting well. All that withstanding, the highlight of the evening was when we began to socialise with a number of foreign drama students, who gave us lots of positive feedback with regards to our drama skills and our play.
Although I have been to London before, this was by far the best trip I have ever been on. A big "thank you" goes out to all our tutors who constantly watched out for us, and of course, to all the cast! We became great friends and worked well in a team, sharing our enthusiasm for the love of theatre. When is the next trip please?
Andre George Agius, 13, wrties:
This is what I will call an experience of a lifetime, which I will always cherish. It all started in February when I had an audition. Masquerade had been chosen to take part in the NT connections theatre. This consists of various theatre schools competing with various newly written plays. These plays are specially written for this festival. The difference was that apart from performing in Malta, we had also to perform in the UK. How exiting! April 21 was departure to London. I could not sleep thinking of the experience. We visited Shakespeare's Globe theatre, where I got to perform Juliet because in Shakespeare's time female roles where played by men. We visited the Kylie exhibition put on for Kylie Minouge. We also visited Covent Gardens with its street performers.
At the NT Connections we experienced performances by other youths like us. Schools from all over England gathered for a whole week of plays at the Arcola Theatre. Our play was A Year And A Day, by Christina Reid. How excited we were, but ready to give our best after months of rehearsals. My part was that of the tree kritter. Back in Malta I still miss the London experience and the excitement of this opportunity that thanks to the Masquerade Theatre Arts School I have been given.
London! We were actually in London! We were right in the middle of where all the action happens! There is only one word to describe this experience. Wow! We were stunned by the beautiful scenery, it was so picturesque! At the hotel we got ready for the most amazing and powerful musical showing in the West End, Wicked. It was breathtaking! After a few days of sightseeing, we geared up for the play. We rehearsed and watched a few other plays. On the day of the performance, everyone was on edge. Backstage, while doing a line and cue, the tension was building. However, on stage everyone just gave 150 per cent and enjoyed it. Performing at the Arcola Theatre was fantastic and our English audience was great. Our trip was without doubt an experience and a half!
Anna Micallef, 12, writes:
We were very lucky to have the chance to perform abroad and compete with foreign drama groups in the NT Connections Program. It was amazing working with professionals and receiving feedback from our audience. The fact that we spent four days together made us all realise how much we didn't know about each other, despite all the hours spent working together! The trip was definitely an enjoyable one. We visited the Globe Theatre and the modern Victoria and Albert Museum. The trip to London was and will remain an unforgettable experience.
Celine Xuereb, 13, writes
London was amazing. It was my best trip ever. Pineapple Studios was a great experience which taught us a different style of dancing (street dancing) and also hip-hop. It helped us develop a new style of dancing which for me is great. I loved it! Arcola and the show went pretty well and had a great time working in a new space. London is beautiful, especially during the night. The Globe Theatre is really nice, I never imagined it was that nice. It was an amazing experience where we also met other theatre students of approximately our age. Thanks for everything and for a great trip!
Alexander Gatesy Lewis, 12, writes:
I will never forget the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity I was given. I got to perform in London with Masquerade Theatre Arts School. Wow! What an educational and exciting trip it turned out to be. It was such an experience performing overseas with 22 other bubbly students, not to forget of course, the four cool accompanying adults.
However, this was not the only high of our trip. We had the best seats at the Apollo Theatre for the latest phenomenal musical Wicked, which stunned us all. A morning of sightseeing, a visit to the V and A museum and the Globe Theatre were a hit for all of us. But the greatest surprise was an afternoon dance workshop at the well-known Pineapple Studios in Covent Garden, which I just loved! We were all thrilled and worked so hard with our three tutors, perfecting street and hip hop routines. All sweaty and still full of energy, we simply wanted more. This was certainly an unforgettable opportunity and a great bonus for all of us!
The day of our performance was the most fantastic experience ever, followed by a great evening too. The theatre was packed solid and the audience seemed to enjoy our performance, reacting well. All that withstanding, the highlight of the evening was when we began to socialise with a number of foreign drama students, who gave us lots of positive feedback with regards to our drama skills and our play.
Although I have been to London before, this was by far the best trip I have ever been on. A big "thank you" goes out to all our tutors who constantly watched out for us, and of course, to all the cast! We became great friends and worked well in a team, sharing our enthusiasm for the love of theatre. When is the next trip please?
Andre George Agius, 13, wrties:
This is what I will call an experience of a lifetime, which I will always cherish. It all started in February when I had an audition. Masquerade had been chosen to take part in the NT connections theatre. This consists of various theatre schools competing with various newly written plays. These plays are specially written for this festival. The difference was that apart from performing in Malta, we had also to perform in the UK. How exiting! April 21 was departure to London. I could not sleep thinking of the experience. We visited Shakespeare's Globe theatre, where I got to perform Juliet because in Shakespeare's time female roles where played by men. We visited the Kylie exhibition put on for Kylie Minouge. We also visited Covent Gardens with its street performers.
At the NT Connections we experienced performances by other youths like us. Schools from all over England gathered for a whole week of plays at the Arcola Theatre. Our play was A Year And A Day, by Christina Reid. How excited we were, but ready to give our best after months of rehearsals. My part was that of the tree kritter. Back in Malta I still miss the London experience and the excitement of this opportunity that thanks to the Masquerade Theatre Arts School I have been given.