Former Greenhead student star of Netflix sensation ‘Baby Reindeer’

If you haven’t yet seen Netflix’s latest sensation ‘Baby Reindeer’, then you have most likely heard about it.

Something you may not know, however, is that leading actress, Jessica Gunning, known for her outstanding portrayal of Martha in the hit TV series, is a former Greenhead College student!

Jessica studied Drama and Theatre, English, Law and Psychology here at Greenhead in 2002-2004, before taking up a place to study Drama at Rose Bruford College of Theatre.

Jessica has previously appeared in a number of films and TV series including ‘Pride’, ‘Back’, ‘What Remains’ and ‘The Outlaws’, and her latest show ‘Baby Reindeer’ is set to become one of the most watched shows on Netflix.

A huge congratulations to Jessica on her well-deserved success. We can’t wait to see more of her on our TV screens!

#GCAlumni

Greenhead College presents ‘Twelfth Night’

Our Drama department are proud to present our annual College production ‘Twelfth Night’.

This year, the production will take place in Greenhead Park’s Conservatory Cafe.

The show will take place from the 11th – 14th December, starting at 6.45pm with the Park Cafe open for refreshments from 5pm.

Tickets are £8 Adult, £5 Students / Concession and are available to purchase via Wisepay.

📍Greenhead Park Conservatory, HD1 4DT
⏰ 6.45pm

Greenhead College to Light it Red!

We are excited to reveal that Greenhead College is preparing to light the building red, on Wednesday 30th Sepember at 8pm, in support of the national campaign – We Make Events.

We have many alumni who have thrived in the events and arts trades and recognise the importance of cultivating the next generation of talent within creative arts and playing our part in saving the industry.

Tom Mills, Head of Drama & Theatre Studies at Greenhead College said

‘As a Live Theatre and Music venue, as well as a hub for aspiring future creatives and artist, it is essential that we show unified support and solidarity with our colleagues and peers across the events and arts industries.

History has taught us that in times of hardship, events and the arts are our source of comfort, shared joy and community spirit. Yet history also teaches that they are always the first causality to government funding cuts.

We need events. We need the arts.’

We look forward to when we can open our doors and work with other art and events institutions across the country once more. In the meantime awareness, support and funding is essential to ensure the industries thrive again!

#WeMakeEvents #LightItRed

GC student Henry Bryan wins the Royal Opera House Design Challenge

We’re delighted to announce that A2 student Henry Bryan has been announced as the overall winner of the Royal Opera House Design Competition.

The ROH Design Challenge is a national competition held each year to all FE/HE students across the UK. Each year, the ROH choose an Opera or Ballet as the focus of the challenge and this year’s focus was Giacomo Puccini’s opera, La bohèm.

Students entering had to choose to focus their design ideas on either; Costume Design, Hair wigs and Make-Up, Set Design and Marketing.

Henry chose to complete a Set Design, where he had to produce a sketchbook recording of his plans and ideas as well as a final design. He then had to produce a realisation of that design at 1:50 scale, in a model box of the Royal Opera House stage.

A winner is chosen in each of the four categories, and then there is a ‘Director’s Choice’ award which is awarded to one student from the entire cohort of entries, across all  categories and we are thrilled that Henry was announced the winner of this award!

Ruth Baker,  EPQ Co-ordinator at Greenhead College commented:  

‘It has been an absolute joy to work with Henry throughout his EPQ journey with the Design Challenge. This well-deserved award from the Royal Opera House recognises and rewards his inspired creativity in set design, and I am sure that Henry will now go from strength to strength in realising his career ambitions in theatre. I wish him every success!’

The Tree Thief – Greenhead College’s Christmas Production

To laugh, to be challenged, to be entertained and delighted.

Brilliant, playful, and thought provoking, this year our drama enrichment students will adapt classic children stories into an amazing college production.

Exploring environmentalism, sustainability and human responsibility, we will weave together children’s classics. Taking our audience on a magical journey through mysterious forests, desolate plains and deepest darkest caves, we ask the questions how do we treat our natural resources and each other in an increasingly consumer driven world?

Made up of 40 students plus staff members, our cast and crew have worked hard to create a fantastic up-cycled set, thrifted costumes and will even be using cruelty free make up.

This fun and educational performance is perfect for all an audience of all ages so come along with your children/younger siblings and enjoy the show!

Showtimes:

Tuesday 10th December 7.15pm
Wednesday 11th December 7.15pm
Thursday 12th December 7.15pm

Tickets are available to purchase from the College Finance Office and are priced at £8 for adults and £5 for concessions.

A Magical Christmas Production

Greenhead College students have delivered yet another outstanding Christmas Production with their performance of ‘The Further From the Path’, a funny and magical collection of Grimm’s fairy tales.

The audience were treated to the student’s unique versions of 5 enchanting tales ‘Little Red Riding Cap’, ‘Clever Hans’, ‘Toby and the Wolf’, ‘The Mouse, the Bird and the Sausage’ and ‘The Fisherman and his Wife’.

The performances were brilliantly entertaining and an exceptional showcase of the sheer talent of the students involved – the actors, the costume designers and the sound and lighting technicians. Each and every element worked together to pull off an extremely exciting, witty and humorous performance.  

Congratulations to all involved!




Immense student talent showcased in Christmas Production

Greenhead College students have pulled off yet another powerful Christmas production with their interpretation of Timberlake Wertenbaker’s ‘Our Country’s Good’.

Based on true events, the performance depicted the story of when eleven ships voyaged a 16,000 mile journey from Portsmouth to Australia in May 1787, to establish the first penal colony. Remarkably, many of the convicts survived the eight month pilgrimage, despite the appalling conditions they faced and went on to stage Australia’s first recorded theatre performance ‘The Recruiting Officer’ by George Farquhar.

The cast set the scene with an immersive promenade style performance, conveying the poverty and chaos that was Georgian London, providing the context for the rise of crime in the 18th century.

The audience were then lead to the dark hold of the ship, whilst the convicts expressed the triviality of the crimes they had committed and the horrors that awaited them – a prologue devised by the students.

Once seated, the rest of the production was underway. A mature and compelling performance with elements of humour and even a couple of songs, which had the audience gripped. Immense talent was showcased, not only in the acting but in the costumes, lighting, sound and set design, all in which the students were responsible for.

Head of Drama and Theatre Studies and director of the production Jane Phelan commented

‘The cast, designers and technicians created an exciting, engaging, immersive performance and brought back to life the characters and real events of this amazing story’.

A well-deserved congratulations to all involved.

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