Protest, by Hannah Laverly

We were delighted to welcome 15 schools, including 12 state-maintained and three independent schools, to a production of Protest by Hannah Lavery on Wednesday 7th and Thursday 8th February 2024, as part of our school’s outreach and partnership work.

A total of 729 students gathered across 4 different performances to enjoy the thought-provoking production of Protest, captivatingly directed by Natalie Ibu. Brought to the stage by Fuel, Imaginate and Northern Stage in association with National Theatre of Scotland, and hosted at NGHS’s The Squire Performing Arts Centre.

 

 

Protest follows Alice, Jade and Chloe. Running is Alice’s happy place – you might even say it’s in her DNA. She’s the best runner at her school but is struggling to prove her worth. Jade is slowly coming to realise that prejudices can be found everywhere, even in the most surprising places. Realising that her education is ill-equipped to encompass her own history and heritage, and taunted by bullies at school, she knows it’s time to tell her own story. Meanwhile, litter is piling up in the local forest, and all over the world an environmental crisis is looming. Chloe is determined to make a change, starting with the town. The three girls prepare to stand up for what they believe in despite the injustices stacked against them.

 

 

Reflecting on the impact of the production, Laura Fowler, Head of Nottingham Girls’ High School’s Infant and Junior School remarked:

“So powerful and fitted so well with children’s mental health week, this week!”

Similarly, Mr Phillips, Head of Chilwell School, commented:

“Protest encouraged our students to engage critically with the issues presented, and to consider different perspectives; fostering empathy and compassion in the process. It also opened up a dialogue on the effects and strategic use of sound, lighting, and set in the performance.” 

 

 

The success of Protest underscored the importance of accessibility to the arts through education, not only by giving so many children a first experience of theatre, but retelling an important message about the power of words and performance. Through partnerships with local schools, the NGHS’s Squire Performing Arts Centre is committed to widening access to the arts for the community and making theatre more accessible to everyone, and this production is one of many partnerships that we run with other schools, including our Sports Partnership, and our Bright Girls Bright Futures partnership.

The cast of Protest is made up of Kirsty MacLaren (The Crown, The Boys in the Boat) as Alice, Harmony Rose-Bremner (Fifteen-Love, Hamnet) as Jade and Amy Murphy (Holby City, Blood Brothers) as Chloe.

 

 

The full production team consists of Amy Jane Cook (Set & Costume Designer), Ali Hunter (Lighting Designer), Novasound (Sound Designer), Nadia Iftkhar (Movement Director) and  Natasha Haws (Associate Director) and Olissa Rogers (current Casting Director). Amy Blair served as original Casting Director.