Ahead of their exciting trip to the theatre to see The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, our Year 5 pupils enjoyed an inspiring workshop led by Richy Hughes, who wrote the lyrics for the show’s songs, and George Harrison, the show’s Dramaturg.

The session began with an engaging assembly exploring the origins of the story. The children impressed both visitors with the knowledge they had already gained through their work in class on William Kamkwamba’s remarkable story. They also discovered more about how a theatre production comes together, from the creative writing process through to the stage.

During the class workshops, pupils learnt about the Chitenje, the traditional Malawian fabric that can be worn as a dress, headwrap and multipurpose garment. They then explored key lines from the show, learning performance techniques to bring the words to life with greater expression and drama. Inspired by one of the scenes, the children worked together to write their own lyrics before confidently performing their creations.

The workshops were a fantastic success, with the children fully engaged throughout and thoroughly enjoying every moment. The experience left everyone even more excited for their theatre visit on Thursday 18th June.

After the workshop, George wrote to share his appreciation of the children’s enthusiasm:

“I wanted to say how much Richy and I both enjoyed working with the children at Tudor Court today. We were thrilled at how they engaged with both the assembly and the workshops. It was lovely to see all the work they had done already learning about William Kamkwamba’s story and I can’t wait to welcome them to the theatre on Thursday.”

We are incredibly proud of the enthusiasm, creativity and confidence shown by our Year 5 pupils, and we know they will have a wonderful experience at the theatre.