Village comes together to stage primary school musical

Children from Kirkby Fleetham Primary will perform their bespoke stage musical this week, involving the whole village community, including parents, past pupils and a former BBC radio presenter.

The original musical, Watch Us Grow, written by deputy headteacher Kirsti-Anna Hume and school governor Wendy Arrowsmith, is based on the pupil’s own true story about their school song and film winning a national award in London, Leicester Square earlier this year.

The whole community, including the village choir, and some budding parent actors, will come to lend a supportive and creative hand to the musical, which tells the fictional story of the village ‘play tree’, whose fate was entwined with the school, back when it was built in 1845.

When news comes that their beloved play tree (who talks and listens to children’s problems) is to be cut down, the children must fight to save the tree and the school through the power of music and song.

The musical, which includes over ten original songs, will be narrated by former BBC Radio Presenter Jonathan Cowap, who was a supporter of the school song Watch Us Grow, and helped them secure the votes that led to their win of the People’s Choice Awards at the star-studded Smiley Charity Film Awards in London.

Kirkby Fleetham Primary School is part of Cornerstone Schools within the Dales Academy Trust.

Cornerstones Deputy Head and songwriter Kirsti-Anna Hume says: “We are incredibly excited to be involving the whole community in such a creative, large-scale project.

“We are a very small school, however, we have big ambitions, and it has been a truly unique learning experience for the children to work with other adults, both on-stage and behind the scenes preparing props, sound effects and scenery.

“We couldn’t believe it when we won the Smiley Charity Award for our song and film and we didn’t know where we could possibly take it next, however, this musical has proven that such a tiny school can continually strive for greater experiences to open our children’s horizons.”