Students Embrace Powerful Theatre in Recent College Production 'Broadmoor'

Birkenhead Sixth Form College’s Winter production was a treat for audiences across two nights, as students embraced dark themes for this spectacular show.

The ensemble was made up of students from all years across the College, each of them exhibiting different skills, adding their own personal flair to the production. Broadmoor included a plethora of performative arts that ranged from acting, singing, dance, and musicality. Audiences were thoroughly entertained as students of present and past, family, friends, and staff gathered for a night that they are unlikely to forget.

Differing greatly from the previous College production of Grease, Broadmoor provoked an unnerving atmosphere that struck everyone involved. Based on Sarah Kane’s play 4.48 Psychosis, the production adopted the promenade theatre style and exceeded conventional theatrical expectations. Through testing theatrical norms, the audience were fully immersed in the show as they were guided through the College hallways, accompanied by their chosen ‘doctor’ as they visited the different ‘patients’ of the hospital.

The show was directed by Head of Drama, Sian Murray, with Head of Dance Emma Potter choreographing the frequent dance pieces. Head of Music Alec Hulton also conducted the band who performed songs such as Nirvana’s ‘Heart Shaped Box’.

After the production, Sian commented “the production may have made you feel uncomfortable or nervous – these are the exact feelings that we wanted you to feel”, as the play touched on expressions towards experiences with mental health issues, which the cast complimented in a striking and thoughtful manner.

Sian added, “the success of Broadmoor stands as a testament to the creativity and dedication of our students, who embraced the raw, unflinching style of Sarah Kane’s work. Their commitment to exploring the depths of human emotion and pushing the boundaries of theatre resulted in a production that was both powerful and thought-provoking. Through their hard work and interpretation, they brought Kane’s vision to life in a way that was uniquely their own.”

Students should be proud of their performance that was both thoughtful and thought-provoking. It was inspiring to witness the creativity and performativity that our students have to offer. We are much looking forward to the next College production already!

Broadmoor