Arts Fest showcases the best of creative and performing arts at St Mary’s Senior School

As part of week-long celebrations by the Faculty of Creative and Performing Arts at the Senior School, girls from Years 7 through to 11 showcased their talents at St Mary’s Arts Fest.
There were Shakespeare inspired music performances, a monologue slam, a ‘cake off’ competition, a jaw-dropping GCSE Art and Photography exhibition and a Fashion Show garments showcase on the evening of Wednesday 14 June. Parents of existing students as well as new scholars who are joining St Mary’s in Year 7 in September and former pupils shared an evening of spectacular creative flair.

Earlier in the week, former creative arts student success was celebrated with Lily Cornell who put on an outstanding graduate show at Colchester Institute for her BA (Hons) Fashion & Printed Textiles degree. Her final collection ‘Pattaya’ has been bought by an international buyer and she is now working as a Junior Textile Designer for Textile Consultant and Creator, Anna Howlett.

St Mary’s Senior School also welcomed back former pupil, Alicia Lording, who gave an inspirational talk about her career path and her job role as Costumier for Angel Costumes, a leading costume supplier for film, television and theatre. The girls were able to get up close and hands-on with costumes from live action Disney films such as The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast as well as a piece from Beyoncé’s tour promo video.

Miss Jones, Head of Senior School said, “Arts Fest was a fantastic event which really showcased the students work from the Faculty of Creative and Performing Arts. The girls who performed were confident and impressive, the array of imaginative cakes were wonderful, the art displays of GCSE work were stunning and the creations and designs on display from Textiles were brilliant. I was blown away by the collaborative bold and colourful Shakespeare artwork created by girls in Years 7-9, which provided the backdrop for the performances at Arts Fest. In our small classes we’re able to tailor our teaching to each student, not just in terms of level but also preferred method of learning. This is evident in the high-standard of work produced by the girls.”