FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS – RPA ANNUAL PERFORMANCES

When and where are the performances and technical rehearsals?

SUNDAY 3rd JUNE 2018 or SUNDAY 15TH JULY 2018

Arrive at 2pm for a technical rehearsal, leave your young person with us.  You can return at 5.30pm when doors open.  The show will run 6pm – 8pm.

They are held at St Joseph’s Catholic College, Ocotal Way, Swindon, Wiltshire SN3 3LR.  There is ample free parking and disabled parking provision.

Uniquely and entirely demonstrating the RPA ethos, we are wholly embracing the young people and creating an entire play based on their song choices.  We are working with the highly acclaimed Director, Laura Barnes who is writing the script and directing the performances for us.  Please rest assured we will stand by our age appropriateness guidelines.

Who is performing when?

Sunday 3rd June performers:

  • St Bartholomew’s
  • Abbey Meads All Stars
  • Wroughton Infants
  • King William Street
  • Shaw All Stars
  • RPA Street Dance
  • Rapport
  • Crudwell
  • Cricklade Manor Prep School
  • Cricklade Manor Pre-Prep School

Sunday 15th July performers:

  • Oliver Tomkins
  • The Croft Primary
  • Oakhurst Sapphire Stars
  • Abbey Meads
  • Shaw Ridge
  • St Francis Juniors
  • Rapport

Ticket information (where to buy, how much they cost, wheelchair users)

The costs are £8 per child to perform and the ticket prices will remain at £11 per adult, £9 per older person and £6 per child.  There will be a family ticket of 2 adults and up to 2 children of £26.  Tickets can be purchased by Paypal via our website and act as your ticket to the event.

For your convenience, we anticipate instructing the £8 performance fee to be taken on 1st July direct debit.  Please let us know if your child is not performing and we will not place an instruction. 

If you are a wheelchair user, please do let me know and I will make arrangements to ensure easy parking and accessibility.

Costume requirements

Costume to perform is your RPA t shirt which you should already be wearing in class.  If you don’t have one, you can order one via our website.  Please don’t attempt to make up one of your own.  Your teacher may send an email home if the young people in their session agree that little added accessories may add to their performance piece.  The rest of your costume can be what ever you like on your lower half – express yourself – but no heels please (I don’t fancy a trip to A&E with a broken ankle!). Please don’t leave ordering your t shirt until the last minute otherwise my poor printer (Your Logo in Cheney Manor, Swindon) will have heart failure!  It will be very warm in the hall.  Please bear this in mind when considering what to wear.

Helpers

Fancy a free ticket, get a backstage pass and share the experience with your child? We would love some parent helpers to come and help.  Don’t worry you won’t miss your child performing.

Is my child performing?

The short answer to this is yes your child is performing but we will never pressurize your child to perform as this is our RPA ethos.  If they are not sure, it is ok for them to go along with me all the way until they actually step on stage to perform and if they decide at the very last minute not to perform, it is ok.  Generally speaking, all the children want to perform.  However, I offer them the get out, just in case. In my whole 11 years, only one child has ever not performed…and that is ok.

What is not acceptable is if a child decides they can’t be bothered to come along on the day (unfortunately this has happened).  Shyness and lack of confidence I completely embrace.  Disrespect to fellow performers I do not accept.

We make the assumption that all the children are performing.  If your child is not able to perform, please let us know (asap), just so we can plan our choreography.  If you haven’t done it yet, please do it now. If your child is not able to perform then don’t worry, they will still be fully involved in sessions.  It is not a reason not to send them to our weekly sessions, please rest assured.

Photographs and permissions

No photographs or video are allowed to be taken during the performance as we have children who are protected under child protection and safeguarding services.  Professional photographer, Elmar Rubio, will take photographs for us but he is the only person certified to take photos as the photos come directly to me and I can police them.  Any photos taken will be freely available on social media or our website.  If you do NOT wish your child to be photographed, please let us know by return.

Refreshments

We will be serving Cirencester’s very own, Rave coffee.  They serve awesome freshly roasted coffee, yum, yum!  It keeps me fuelled! Tea, cold drinks and snacks will also be available.

Does my child need to bring a packed tea?

Yes, due to the timings of the technical rehearsals and performances, a packed tea will be required.  We will also provide plenty of biscuits and drinks to keep the children fuelled.  Do let me know of any allergies. Please try to avoid anything with peanuts in as we have young people with a peanut allergy. We have RPA staff on hand who are paediatric diabetic and epi pen trained.

Is there anything else I need to bring on the performance day?

Yes, could you please bring a named cushion or pillow for your child to sit on and something to keep them entertained during the tech run (2pm-5pm).  Please do not bring anything of value as RPA cannot be held responsible for lost property.

My child is in Year 6.  Will they be doing anything additional on the performance day?

Yes, Year 6’s have been invited to join Rapport (our secondary school performers) in a joint performance piece in preparation for Year 6’s to try out/join Rapport in Year 7 (if they choose).  They should have all received a personal invitation from me, if you haven’t received one, please let me know.

Where to find further information (website, teacher, office)

Please do take a look at our website first, it generally has the answers, or ask your teacher or lastly you can give us a call at the office on 01793 751399 or Fi’s mobile 07799 691328 then I can add your question to our frequently asked questions.

We are going to have the most amazing time! Be proud!  I soooooo am!

Ready to get involved?

All elements of the sessions are child centered and there is no pressure to perform,
just to relax, enjoy and have a good time.