Family and friends of Wakefield Grammar School Foundation, we are delighted to invite you to an exciting production of Roger and Hammerstein’s timeless classic, “Carousel”. Performed by the talented students of Wakefield Girls’ and QEGS, the production will be shown at Queen Elizabeth Hall QEGS from Wednesday 7th February to Friday 9th February. 

“Carousel” weaves a poignant and compelling tale of love, redemption, and the human spirit. Set in a coastal New England town, the story revolves around the complex relationship between carousel barker Billy Bigelow and millworker Julie Jordan. Their love story unfolds amidst a backdrop of colourful characters and stirring musical numbers including “June is Busting Out All Over” and the anthemic “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”

Auditions for the production began back in September 2023 with hundreds of talented students applying to be a part of the Foundation production, whether on stage talent or behind the scenes as part of stage crew or sound and light. This was whittled down to a cast of just over 40 students which is a tight squeeze for some scenes, but testament to the amount of enthusiasm for the musical production.

Rehearsals began shortly after and were conducted throughout autumn term, with after-school dance and acting workshops and EDGE sessions being used to coach the complicated song numbers. Choreographer Katy Ray, who has worked with us for our last two shows, has also been visiting to help students get to grips with the big ensemble numbers such as “June is Busting Out All Over” and “Hornpipe”. The musical is famous for its ballet sequence and Katy has been working with talented Year 11 student Matilda to come up with something magical!

Carousel is a classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical and one that we thought would make a nice departure from some of our recent modern musicals. The production is a mature and technically demanding piece that we thought would challenge our students and appeal to our sense of ambition for Performing Arts at the Foundation. 

It’s a challenge that our students have risen to with enthusiasm and commitment and I’m so proud of their work on the show and I can’t wait for them to show it to an audience.

Tickets are available now, and we encourage you to secure your seats early to ensure you don’t miss this extraordinary production.

Wednesday 7th February tickets.

Thursday 8th February tickets.

Friday 9th February tickets.

Mr S Besford 

Foundation Director of Drama