The cast of Matilda jr were lucky enough to be invited to watch a brand new, powerful and inspirational musical, ‘Sylvia’, at London’s Old Vic.
The show is about the relationship between Sylvia Pankhurst, and her mother, Emmeline Pankhurst, played by Highfields almuna Beverley Knight, told through the medium of hip hop, funk and soul. Beverley has always been a huge supporter of performances at Highfields, with both her time and money, having paid for the students’ tickets to watch this amazing production.
After the production, Beverley came out and spoke to the students. She gave the cast lots of tips on how to succeed in the business and said, ‘Believe in yourselves, you could all achieve what I have, don’t forget, I too started on the stage at Highfields.” Students were also thrilled to meet Sharon Rose, who played Sylvia Pankhurst, and Sweeney, semi-finalist from The Voice who thrilled audiences with his performance as Silvio.
Ms Bishop, Director of Performance, who organised the trip, said, ‘This was such an awe inspiring show to see so close to International Women’s Day. It was a hugely powerful and uplifting piece of work by one of my favourite choreographers – Kate Prince.’
Prince is the founder of Zoo Nation, a dance company that highlights the skills of 'backing dancers' and gives them their own platform as artists in their own right.
Ms Bishop continued, ‘Prince hated the homophobia and misogyny in hip hop, so created her own company to change attitudes to the medium. She is the epitome of the phrase, ‘Be the change you want to see’ and is an inspiration.’
Beverley Knight has been nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical at this year’s Olivier Awards and everyone at Highfields wishes her the best of luck!
