A3 Festival is another riotous explosion of artistic talent, colour and energy

Organised by lower-sixth pupils, the weekend is designed to bring together the different creative disciplines into a vibrant and diverse showcase of artistic talents. It is also an important step in helping our A3 pupils to develop the skills they learned through their input into the C Festival, ‘The Scene’. Both events play a vital role in defining the importance of individual contribution to the whole school.

Over 100 A3 pupils participated in seven different plays. The main school venues saw three very popular and lively adaptations of classics – Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the Wizard of Oz and the Lion King. On the plateau, we were treated to three hugely enjoyable performances of TV shows, the outrageous Summer Heights High, the quirky Miranda and the iconic Blackadder. In Bramall, we saw a version of Snow White unlike any we had seen before, a dark play within a play, a murder mystery with frustrated detectives and very tall dwarfs!

As ever in the A3 festival, the weekend’s entertainment was not just about the plays - we were also treated to some great music gigs, including the Cookies and Chill gig in Main Hall during which money was raised for school charities by the selling of delicious cakes, brownies and cookies. There was also a classy Fashion Show, some high-quality films and a variety of art installations, including some striking graffiti in the A3 Social, the breaking of the glass ceiling in Main Hall and the A3 signs that were lit up in the dining-hall to open the festival on Friday evening. In addition, the obligatory conga around the school pond, which has been part of the Bryanston tradition, bypassed the rain!

The A3 Festival remains a very special Bryanston tradition and it is wonderful to see so many A3 pupils working together to produce a festival to be proud of. It is also great to see the enthusiastic support they receive from all other years who once again packed out venues around the school throughout the weekend.

Many thanks to everyone in A3 who contributed to another fantastic festival and to everyone who helped to turn their ideas into reality, especially the hard working and selfless tech crew, including many pupils in younger years who provided such calm and professional support throughout. One of the many things that makes the A3 festival so special is that every play, every gig, everything that is performed and displayed is inspired, created and produced by the pupils themselves. It couldn’t happen however without the quiet support of many people behind the scenes and I would like to thank all members of staff who gave their time and expertise to help make this year’s festival another memorable weekend for all concerned.

Duncan Fowler-Watt
Director of Performing Arts