High school actors bring Fame to life

The cast of Fame at Whitworth Community High School

Fame – the high school for Performing Arts – was brought to life by students from Whitworth Community High School for three nights only. Many will remember the hit American TV programme from the 1980s, which made leg warmers a must-have accessory.

After a series of rehearsals, including lunchtime, after school and even weekends, the cast of nearly 40 took to the stage.

It was not the first-time Declan Larkin, 14, has landed a lead role.

In Fame he played Nick and at Tonacliffe Primary School he secured the main role in his Year 6 production, learnt the 257 lines of script in double quick time only to discover it clashed with a holiday and he never got to go on the stage.

He said: “The Year 6 experience was useful for me as I knew techniques for learning the lines.

“It was really good fun to do Fame and we modernised parts of the songs. The relationship that built up between the cast was very good and my self confidence improved compared to how I felt in Year 7.”
Hannah Smallwood, 14, said: “It is really four different stories: there is the relationship between my character Serena and Nick, the acting part.

“Then there is the musical part involving Schlomo, the dance part with Tyrone who wants to carry on dancing and then the drugs story.

“It is new for me to be acting. I am a quiet person and not very confident so this has been quite a challenge. I am doing GCSE drama and everyone has been very supportive.”

The cast involves students from Years 7 to 10 with a couple of roles being taken by Year 11s.

No stranger to the stage is Beth Richards, 14, who played the role of Carmen in Fame.

She said: “At two-and-a-half I was doing ballet and tap and I have just been in a musical production with Failsworth Footlights.

“We auditioned for the roles in Fame and I was very nervous beforehand, but when I got on stage I enjoyed it.

“I don’t know if I want to go into performing arts, I may be a dance teacher; I know I want to work with children.”