A new season begins at West End Kids as we welcome no fewer than 13 new additions to West End Kids. This is complimented by a strong WEK: Training Company and plenty of interest in the October 08 WEK: Workshops.
It will be a busy and challenging period of West End Kids as they look to tackle to difficult musical material. Songs currently in rehearsal include; "You Can't Stop The Beat", "Jersey Boys", "Boy From New York City" and "The Wiz", whilst soloists are working to a pop / rnb theme this season with songs including "Candyman", "Since U Been Gone", "Greatest Love of All", "I Know Him So Well" and "Whistle Down The Wind".
WEK: Training also have their work cut out as they begin work on the West End Live set from last term! This includes "High School Musical" and "Abba".
We also have the new "WEKords" Company recording a cast album of Howard Goodall and Charles Hart's "The Kissing Dance" and the opening of "WEK: Management" - a new free service for West End Kids designed to help them find professional casting and audition opportunities.
Emma Griffiths is now also working full-time in the WEK Office with her attentions mainly directed towards developing WEK: Management and events and performances for West End Kids. We are also in the very early stages of trying to source our own rehearsal studio, as the constant hiring of other peoples resources is becoming difficult.
The WEK PTA (a place for parents to provide feedback and assistance with West End Kids) will meet for the first time on Sunday 28th September and we are very much hoping that the combined resources will help move West End Kids further still in the right direction.
It's a busy and exciting time for everybody at West End Kids. You can be sure that we will keep you updated of all developments via the www.westendkids.co.uk website.
Thursday, 18 September 2008
Friday, 8 August 2008
Professional Simulation
A small group of 12 West End Kids delighted an audience in support of the Canterbury Oast Trust on Sunday August 3rd.
Whilst the majority of West End Kids were on a summer break, WEK took the opportunity to organize a professional simulation for those with a few days to kill during their summer break. The challenge was tough, with the small group required to put together new fewer than 7 difficult songs in a three day rehearsal period before heading off to Ashford (Kent) to perform the 30 minute set.
The music included All That Jazz, Bring On Tomorrow, Put On Your Sunday Clothes, Don't Tell Mama, One, Thank You For The Music and Luck Be A Lady. Following an outstanding performance, the West End Kids received an impromptu 2 minute standing ovation. A lovely touch from an appreciative and captivated audience of charity executives, supporters and volunteers.
The small group of West End Kids will certainly have had a taster of the kinds of demands and pressures laid on professional performers, and coped with those demands and pressures extremely well.
Whilst the majority of West End Kids were on a summer break, WEK took the opportunity to organize a professional simulation for those with a few days to kill during their summer break. The challenge was tough, with the small group required to put together new fewer than 7 difficult songs in a three day rehearsal period before heading off to Ashford (Kent) to perform the 30 minute set.
The music included All That Jazz, Bring On Tomorrow, Put On Your Sunday Clothes, Don't Tell Mama, One, Thank You For The Music and Luck Be A Lady. Following an outstanding performance, the West End Kids received an impromptu 2 minute standing ovation. A lovely touch from an appreciative and captivated audience of charity executives, supporters and volunteers.
The small group of West End Kids will certainly have had a taster of the kinds of demands and pressures laid on professional performers, and coped with those demands and pressures extremely well.
Thursday, 17 July 2008
West End Live / End of Term
Well, as may always be the way with blogs - you start with the best of intentions, you find yourself busy, and end up not posting for a while - so I'm sorry about that!
It has been a frantic few weeks for West End Kids. We performed at WEST END LIVE on Sunday 22nd June, and what a success it was! WEK performed music from Mamma Mia, Oliver and High School Musical to a packed Leicester Square, and brought the house down. Our Nancy, Lauren Bain was also the subject of some serious flattery from the compere, comparing her most favourably to the winner of BBC 1's, "I'd Do Anything".
You can view the performance in full at the main westendkids.co.uk website, and there are also plenty of clips doing the rounds on You Tube (www.youtube.com)
We then turned our attention to our traditional "Review" performance, however - we left it very late after putting everything we had in terms of time and resources into West End Live. So we decided to go for an "open rehearsal", relieving some of the pressure to put together 18 new musical numbers in 3 weekends, whilst also giving the kids the opportunity to perform the other music they had started to work on after West End Live.
And so, we bring our April - July 2008 term to an end this Sunday, and everyone will be off for a good well earned rest, apart from those taking part in our "professional simulation" running from July 31st - August 3rd. For those people, the break starts then.
We will keep you updated with news from over the summer, as we will continue to shake up West End Kids as we look to move forward and progress as a Company. You should also keep your eye out for information regarding Scholarships, as we will be offering one lucky person a full Scholarship to West End Kids from September. Auditions details will be available on the website shortly.
Have a great summer!
Martin.
It has been a frantic few weeks for West End Kids. We performed at WEST END LIVE on Sunday 22nd June, and what a success it was! WEK performed music from Mamma Mia, Oliver and High School Musical to a packed Leicester Square, and brought the house down. Our Nancy, Lauren Bain was also the subject of some serious flattery from the compere, comparing her most favourably to the winner of BBC 1's, "I'd Do Anything".
You can view the performance in full at the main westendkids.co.uk website, and there are also plenty of clips doing the rounds on You Tube (www.youtube.com)
We then turned our attention to our traditional "Review" performance, however - we left it very late after putting everything we had in terms of time and resources into West End Live. So we decided to go for an "open rehearsal", relieving some of the pressure to put together 18 new musical numbers in 3 weekends, whilst also giving the kids the opportunity to perform the other music they had started to work on after West End Live.
And so, we bring our April - July 2008 term to an end this Sunday, and everyone will be off for a good well earned rest, apart from those taking part in our "professional simulation" running from July 31st - August 3rd. For those people, the break starts then.
We will keep you updated with news from over the summer, as we will continue to shake up West End Kids as we look to move forward and progress as a Company. You should also keep your eye out for information regarding Scholarships, as we will be offering one lucky person a full Scholarship to West End Kids from September. Auditions details will be available on the website shortly.
Have a great summer!
Martin.
Sunday, 15 June 2008
West End Kids @ Hyde Park
Our recent performance at Hyde Park in support of the charity "PHAB" was a useful warm up for West End Live, where all of the kids had to perform in slightly more stressful circumstances than they are used to.
No rehearsal time prior to the performance coupled with having to perform outdoors, on grass and with an unfamiliar sound set-up, it was good preparation for our forthcoming performance at West End Live. We were certainly grateful for the sun! A rainy day would have been pretty miserable!
All of the West End Kids came through the event with flying colours, impressing the few hundred charity supporters present at The Bandstand in Hyde Park. There was high praise from one particular member of the audience who we believe to be an entertainment manager for the Royal Family. He has an expressed an interest in talking to us about getting involved in some of his future projects and Gary Johnson (WEK Business Director) will no doubt be speaking with him shortly.
West End Kids performed the same set of music that will be featured at West End Live (Sunday 22nd June @ 3.20pm) and it was great to try it out in advance, allowing us to tweak some things that didn't quite work at this weekends rehearsal. Some tempos didn't quite work in addition to some other minor things, so it is great that we had the chance to try those out before getting up on "the big stage" at West End Live.
We would like to thank all of those involved with PHAB and the Heartbeat Hike campaign for thinking of us and inviting us to perform. I'm sure all of the kids thoroughly enjoyed the occasion.
No rehearsal time prior to the performance coupled with having to perform outdoors, on grass and with an unfamiliar sound set-up, it was good preparation for our forthcoming performance at West End Live. We were certainly grateful for the sun! A rainy day would have been pretty miserable!
All of the West End Kids came through the event with flying colours, impressing the few hundred charity supporters present at The Bandstand in Hyde Park. There was high praise from one particular member of the audience who we believe to be an entertainment manager for the Royal Family. He has an expressed an interest in talking to us about getting involved in some of his future projects and Gary Johnson (WEK Business Director) will no doubt be speaking with him shortly.
West End Kids performed the same set of music that will be featured at West End Live (Sunday 22nd June @ 3.20pm) and it was great to try it out in advance, allowing us to tweak some things that didn't quite work at this weekends rehearsal. Some tempos didn't quite work in addition to some other minor things, so it is great that we had the chance to try those out before getting up on "the big stage" at West End Live.
We would like to thank all of those involved with PHAB and the Heartbeat Hike campaign for thinking of us and inviting us to perform. I'm sure all of the kids thoroughly enjoyed the occasion.
Welcome to the new WEK Blog
A warm welcome to the new West End Kids Blog. Here, you will be able to read about what goes on "behind the scenes" at West End Kids, in addition to insider information from the WEK Team and general comment from West End Kids Founder & Artistic / Musical Director, Martin Williams.
Be sure to add our new Blog to your bookmarks (http://westendkids.blogspot.com) and please feel free to leave comments and get in touch with us!
Martin Williams.
Be sure to add our new Blog to your bookmarks (http://westendkids.blogspot.com) and please feel free to leave comments and get in touch with us!
Martin Williams.
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