WE’RE treading the boards for today’s Nostalgia spread.
These pictures have been sent in by former long-serving teacher Nigel Hildreth.
Mr Hildreth was a music teacher at the Stanway School from 1981 until 1987.
He has photos of countless productions and those on this spread include All the King’s Men, in 1981, and Guys and Dolls, in 1986.
As a matter of act - this picture was taken during a performance of All the King's Men, in 1981
“All the King’s Men was one of the early productions at Stanway, after I joined in 1981,” said Mr Hildreth.
“The idea was that it would be aimed at younger students, giving them an opportunity to perform. The main objective was to develop students’ music skills.
“When I moved to the school, I felt I needed to make a musical impact and did so with my rock opera ‘The Damnation of Jonathan Fist’.
“I auditioned and interviewed youngsters, encouraging students of all ages, particularly boys, to be involved.
A play on words - a performance of All the King's Men
“I was criticised by some of my colleagues who felt I was lowering cultural levels by using a rock format, but I was keen to show a wide variety of music was valid.
“All the King’s Men is a strong, classical work and it meant I was able to develop working relationships with my Stanway colleagues such as Michael Knight and Tony Saitta.”
Mr Hildreth, now 67 and still living in Colchester, says that during his seven years at Stanway he was involved in a range of musicals which “stimulated the musical environment of the school”.
Guys and Dolls followed five years after All the King’s Men and featured established performers for the lead roles, including future Blur frontman Damon Albarn.
Every picture tells a story - another of Nigel's pictures of All the King's Men
“We had hoped to perform West Side Story, but a new production in the West End meant the rights for amateur performance were withdrawn,” added Mr Hildreth.
“To rehearse the show, we took most of the cast away for a weekend to a residential centre at Wicken Bonhunt. It was a challenging show, but the fantastic music carried it along.”
Some of these photographs were taken by head of art Michael Knight.
A scene of the times - Nigel took this picture during a performance at school
Sharing a joke - backstage at one of the productions
Take a bow - the Guys and Dolls cast in 1986
Break a leg - some of the actors behind the Stanway School's 1986 production of Guys and Dolls
Don’t prop me now - Blur frontman Damon Albarn and Samantha Torrington
Making music - the Stanway School's orchestra provide the music
Looking the part - preparations before a performance at the Stanway School
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