On Wednesday 13th November, Embark Federation ‘embarked’ on a trip of a lifetime for 42 of our children across 7 of our schools. After an early start of 6:30am from Derby, we travelled to London starting off with a mini guided tour where our children were able to spot some of the famous landmarks- London Zoo was a particular favourite!
We headed straight to the heart of the West End and our first destination was the prestigious Pineapple Dance Studios where we were greeted by our tour guide for the day, Jade Chaston, who had starred as the lead role of Sophie in Mamma Mia.
The children were straight into a two-hour workshop with two current performers in The Lion King Lila Anderson and Stephanie Lo. Our children were fantastic and really did us proud as they took part in a warmup and learnt a rigorous routine taken from the show. We took a range of ages from Year 2 to Year 6 and the children all mixed together fabulously and encouraged one another, it was a joy to behold.
Following the workshop, the children undertook a question and answer session with the performers. This was truly inspiring and it was great for them to share their stories with the children. Lila had auditioned 3 times for the show so this really proved to the children that if you set your mind to something and don’t give up you can achieve anything!
They went on to talk about their day and what it consisted of and how the Lion King work as a family with most of the Actors/performers having up to 14 costume changes throughout the show! The importance of working together to achieve a goal was really prevalent and this is something we want the children to feel within Embark like they are working together as a family.
The children’s next stop was Pizza Express in Covent Garden which the Children loved, they had a lovely 2 course meal which from the photos you will see they all thoroughly enjoyed!
Our final destination was the breathtaking Lyceum Theatre where the children all sat nervously awaiting the performance on their best behaviour. The lights went down and the show was fabulous from start to finish. The children loved every minute and to see their faces light up was just the icing on the cake.
After the show we had a backstage meet and greet with a cast member to finish and if the children wanted their programme signed this was their chance before we headed back to Derby with the children still buzzing with excitement.
The day was a huge success and it ran smoothly from start to finish with the help of our tour guide, all of the teachers and support staff who were there to facilitate the day.
We are now planning our next West End trip of a lifetime so watch this space!
Enjoy the pictures below!
