“When students reflect on their time at St Paul’s, it is almost certain that the first thing that comes to mind is not the English test they passed, or the hurdles chapel service.

Whilst both of those may have made the student’s day at the time, they do not make their high school experiences. Most often, one would find, it is the successes that students achieve together. Whether that is rowing at Maadi, creating an amazing 48-hour film entry, or contributing to creating a memorising and undeniably successful production as 80 students did this year.

You could already tell that “Legally Blonde” was going to be a success before it was even cast. It’s contemporary, energetic, spunky nature that brings to light current issues (such as the “Me Too” movement) ensured that it would relate to students and adults alike. Yet, we’re not saying that it was smooth sailing the whole time. There were certainly moments when the production team (Mr Rawson, Mr Carpenter, Ms Dela Rue, Leona, Miss Spenceley, Mr Smith and Mrs Johnson) tore their hair out over forgotten dialogue, dynamics and dance moves. But the show would not have made such an impact on cast and crew alike if it had been a walk in the park. At the conclusion of opening night, the looks on the faces of everyone was disbelief. Their faces spoke: “We actually did it! And we did it amazingly!” Although we didn’t think it was possible - because we already started so well - every night the show got better. Every night the students gave it their all. Every night the audiences loved it.

On top of being an incredible experience for all those involved, this production has also provided us with an opportunity to gain new skills. The singing and performance aspect has left us all far more confident on stage and in all our abilities as far as performance is concerned. It has also provided an amazing learning opportunity in commitment, communication and leadership as well. Seeing the development and growth of performance skills has made me incredibly grateful that we have been able to embark on such a wonderful journey with such a talented group of staff and students.

Thank you to all those that supported the St Paul’s musical production of “Legally Blonde”. Whether it was watching the show, supporting a friend, or giving up so much of your time to make the show a success. To the students that were involved this year, as Dr Seuss once said “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened” and we certainly had plenty of laughs putting this show together. Legally Blonde was a success because everyone gave it their all. To any student considering being involved in next year's production, I encourage you to go for it. It could be the event that makes your high school experience so memorable.”