On the 9th, 10th and 11th of July we once again reached the pinnacle of our arts calendar: Kingswoodstock. Although in the new building we have yet to fully revise the format, the shows produced were an excellent example of why we are so highly regarded for our artistic output.

Monday night saw a command performance of the Greek comedy Lysistrata, by Aristophanes, performed by the Yr 12 BTEC National ensemble. Masterfully realised by Sean Freeman, the ancient play was transplanted into fictitious setting of a war between England and Scotland. The bawdy relation of the story, which sees women withholding certain favours in order to stop the war, was delivered by the cast with expert comedy timing. No one who saw either performance will forget Tom McKay in that outfit. The material could have easily overwhelmed the players, but they kept a tight reign on the comedy and produced an bona fide hit in this year's output.

Lysistrata was followed on Tuesday by Dance and Drama showcasing some of the year's best output from across BTEC lessons, project work and after school clubs. Each piece was drenched in the Kingswood style and as we ranged from an extract of the enterprise show, through Dance club and Year 10 BTEC we can still comfortably claim that no one does it like us. It seems unfair to pull out highlights, but we were all charmed by the Year 7 Hakuna Matata dance and Julia Mallard created a comic treat with her Year 10s. As we bid her a sad farewell next year, at least we can be confident that she will spread a little bit of us to the far flung reaches of Kettering.

Kingswoodstock this year concluded with the ever hard working Music department, demonstrating over two shows quite how far they have come in recent years. The show was packed with outstanding talent from across all year groups and was an excellent showcase of the innovations that have taken place, such as Live Lounge and the Year 9 Band Slam. Ably (possibly cheesily!) compered by Ross Gormley (with 'comedy' assistance at times from Paul Hay and Grady Occleshaw), the performances were woven slickly into a show that gave goosebumps and grins all round. Stunning vocals were the name of the game this year, ranging from Rebecca Vince to Meg Lyons and all shining like stars in between. Personally speaking, I'm not a big fan of Adele but there were performances here that made me like her songs. It was a heartwarming event that made us all breathe a sigh of relief as we could see the emerging talent in the younger years that will keep us in business for years to come.

A huge, massively grateful thank you to all staff and students for being part of yet another triumph. We look forward to seeing what shenanigans we can get up to next year!

Don't forget to check out Kingswood's Facebook page for details of shows and events.

To view the pictures from both performances please click here