E-ACT National Pupil Celebration Event 2021 THURSDAY 15 JULY REPERTORY THEATRE

1 welcome contents I am delighted to welcome you to the beautiful Birmingham Welcome from Jane 3 Repertory Theatre About the venue 3 for E-ACT’s fifth annual National Pupil Our regional events 3 Celebration Event. Today's programme 4 I can’t begin to explain just how exciting it is to be back together in one place to And the winner is... 5 celebrate your incredible achievements. While we sadly had to cancel last year’s event because of the pandemic, we plan to About the venue Winning work 6 more than make up for it this year with a special day filled with musical performance, We have returned to the home of Get involved 12 dance and a glitzy awards ceremony. many of our academies for this year’s National Pupil Celebration Event. Whether you’re here in person or watching from the comfort of your , today We are delighted to be back at the is a wonderful opportunity to shine a light beautiful Birmingham Repertory on the brilliant achievements of pupils and Theatre – one of the oldest staff across our 28 academies, bringing building-based theatre companies together E-ACT people from every corner in the country and a great place of of the country. innovation, with generations of new artists launching their careers here. Take a look around you as today you are We’d like to thank the surrounded by inspirational young people Our regional events event organisers and just like you who, in spite of having a all the judges and staff different uniform to yours (and perhaps We celebrated the amazing talent involved in making this a slightly different regional accent!) across our two regions through a day a success. We’d also are part of the same family of series of regional celebration events like to thank our wonderful academies as you are. in June. The winners of the regional events are performing live on pupils for attending. Most importantly, you are all stage today! doing great things at your academies, and we are so proud to have you as part of our team. I hope you enjoy being part of today’s celebrations Jane Millward Chief Executive

2 3 And the winner is Congratulations to all our Today's wonderful winners who will be presented with their awards today.

E-ACT’s Got Talent E-ACT Staff Talent Award programme Emily Carter, Year 9, singer Amber Scott – artwork Willenhall E-ACT Academy South regional team 11.30am – 12.15pm 1.40pm – 2.00pm Tianna Philips, Year 5, gymnast Charlotte Dunn – singer Mansfield Green E-ACT Academy North Birmingham Academy Lunch Interval Kylan Philip Cole, Year 8, pianist Think Big Award Guests to take their seats 2.00pm – 2.05pm City Heights E-ACT Academy Sagarika Tirlangi, Year 6, dancer Sean Sherwood 12.15pm – 12.30pm Welcome back from Jean Scott, Interim Chalfont Valley E-ACT Academy Royton & Crompton E-ACT Academy Chair of the Board of Trustees Emily from Willenhall E-ACT Academy Logan Goulding, Year 9, magician Michelle Barton performs ‘Riptide’ by Vance Joy 2.05pm – 2.15pm Royton & Crompton E-ACT Academy Hareclive E-ACT Academy Tianna from Mansfield Green E-ACT E-ACT Staff Talent award winners: Clarissa Smania, Year 11, singer Do the Right Thing Award Academy performs a gymnastics routine Amber Scott showcases her fantastic Humayon Pramanik Sadia Islam, Year 11, singer 12.30pm – 12.35pm artwork National team North Birmingham Academy Welcome from Jane Millward, Charlotte Dunn performs ‘She Used Crystal Burnett Natalia Read, Year 10, singer DSLV Primary Chief Executive To Be Mine’ by Sara Bareilles The Parker E-ACT Academy 12.35pm – 12.45pm 2.15pm – 2.30pm Aaron Dempsey, Year 12, pianist Show Team Spirit Award North Birmingham Academy Meet your host, Matthew Flannigan, The E-ACT Staff Awards Waheeda Akhtar Nechells E-ACT Academy National Director of Primary Education The Artists’ Award 2.30pm – 2.35pm Likhon Muhammad 12.45pm – 1.00pm Ellie Cope, Year 4 The Crest Academy A special message from Sean Sherwood, St Ursula’s E-ACT Academy Kylan from City Heights E-ACT Academy Head of Year 11 at Royton & Crompton Madison Bracey, Year 3 performs ‘Shape of You’ by Ed Sheeran E-ACT Academy Lockdown Hero Award Reedswood E-ACT Academy on the keyboard Bernadette Mather 2.35pm – 2.50pm Maria Caloian, Year 12 Blackley E-ACT Academy Sagarika from Chalfont Valley E-ACT The Parker E-ACT Academy All staff Academy performs a traditional Sadia from North Birmingham Academy Sarah Omorogbe-Alakini, Year 11 St Ursula’s E-ACT Primary Academy Indian dance performs ‘Bruises’ by Lewis Capaldi West Walsall E-ACT Academy Natalia from The Parker E-ACT Academy 1.00pm – 1.15pm Outstanding Achievement Award performs ‘I Dreamed A Dream’ from the The Writers’ Award Jennifer Clegg The Artists’ and Writers’ Awards musical Les Miserables Eyad Scott, Year 6 Heartlands E-ACT Academy 1.15pm – 1.40pm 2.50pm – 3.00pm Pathways E-ACT Academy Christina Kyriakakos, Year 11 Logan from Royton & Crompton E-ACT Closing comments by Jane Millward, City Heights E-ACT Academy Academy wows the audience with magic Chief Executive Imani Peglar, Year 5 Clarissa from The Crest Academy St Ursula’s E-ACT Academy performs ‘You Know I’m No Good’ Scout Cook-Collins, Year 9 by Amy Winehouse The

4 5 Maria Caloian The Artists’ The Parker E-ACT Award winners Academy Judges' comments: "A stunning piece and such a clever mix of Ellie Cope paint, fabric, tie-dye and embroidery. To achieve St Ursula’s such detail using this E-ACT Academy number of materials is exceptional."

Judges' comments: "A wonderful combination of fun, playful art crafted with incredible technical skill and attention to detail – a true artist in the making."

Judges' comments: "Clearly a lot of historical research has gone into this piece and the fact that it can be worn shows an incredible level of artistic skill – quite brilliant"

Madison Bracey Sarah Omorogbe-Alakini Judges' comments: "Beautiful and haunting at the Reedswood E-ACT Academy West Walsall E-ACT Academy same time – a thought-provoking piece that had us admiring it long after. New details can be seen after every viewing 6 – truly brilliant." 7 The Writers’ Award winners The ocean breathed. Her surface rising and falling with rhythmic ease. Its gentle push was relaxing whilst the overlapping waves sounded like calming whispers as the band of fish floated in this void free of gravity. The expanse of blue water stretched in every direction as the sun set. Somewhere offshore, homesickness overwhelmed her. It had been 3 years since she’d been home. Her body ached with sorrow. But slowly, as the sound of home beckoned louder and louder, the more her body started to shift towards home. But not alone. Instinct drove a shoal of fish to the same destination. And they began to follow the path of one pulse to reach from the heart of the sea towards- Not too far off: starving, unfed, and ravenous, the Canadian grizzly bear struggled to pull himself together to drink the water nearby. He sat there alone, watching the gushing waterfall. It seemed miles away. The longer his desirous eyes stared, the further the stream appeared. Darting towards the west she was in full motion, starting to make her way down the watercourse, travelling past the obstacles in her path. She was 1 kilometre away, then 700 metres, then 200. She was going home, where the plants were orange and blue and magnificent. The bear’s stomach growled, a reminder that his insides were deserted. He was famished. Staring at his weak legs the bear attempted to make a movement, any movement. He needed a sign of hope. A twitch in the leg was enough. The bear knew what to do, step by step- Across the waterfall silence lay heavy throughout the ocean, but slowly and steadily the water started to pull her forwards. It was as if it knew of her desire to return home. As the pull grew stronger and stronger the salmon soon found herself zooming down the stream, no control over where she was going. Her eyes were trapped, desperate, terrified. Finally reaching the bottom of the waterfall, the tiresome bear collapsed into the water and lay there patiently waiting to be resurrected. His eyes were bulging. From the way his body was throbbing he knew he couldn’t hold up for much longer as he was overcome with breathlessness. Flying through the water, the fish was no longer heading home but to the end of the earth. The water pulled her back and forth, crashing into rocks and weeds. Judges' comments: The emptiness at the end of this river was nonsensical. She couldn’t understand "A very well-crafted piece written where she would end up. It was too late. She was up in the air and down again. with poise and elegance. Not Suddenly, she felt a rush of terror travel up her gills. Something sent shock waves of electricity through her that her body pulsed like a strung guitar string. once is the audience told to think in either way – a great journalist Everything turned black. in the making." The bear roared hot ashes. Scratching his dark fur, he waited for more.

Eyad Scott Pathways E-ACT Academy Christina Kyriakakos Judges' comments: City Heights "This young writer had judges hooked from beginning to end. Truly E-ACT Academy inventive writing with nods to some of the best modern writers of today."

8 9 The Writers’ “Okay.”

It's funny isn't it, how we all Is it okay that we still buy Award winners manage to feel so OK when all clothes and food that is made, around next to nothing is, grown and harvested by slaves who’s lives are anything but, ok. ok. They say it’s ‘ok not to be ok’ Below the minimum wage Yet some people still suffer in silence and that is not, Below the human rights standards ok. Below scorching sun with no shade You know, some people think it’s ok to beat someone up because Below ok they’re gay. And is that ok? “Stop, breathe, okay?” No! but still we stay Silent, But how am supposed to calm Watchful, down when nothing is, A bystander ok. “I don’t want to get involved, Like the droughts then the ok?” floods, “Okay” No sun then no rain, Too hot then too cold, Around the world, black people Okay, can someone tell me what are being murdered because of is going on? the colour of their skin. Global warming. In our world to be white is No denying, Imani Peglar ‘okay’, yet any other colour St Ursula’s is not. Plants, animals, humans E-ACT Academy And we still think it’s ok to just, Dying Double tap an Insta post stating Yet it’s ok to fund fossil fuels this, and that is okay for that to Fund deforestation be it? Judges' comments: Fund a three degrees increase "A wonderfully inventive, Fund. Climate. Chaos. illustrated poem with a Scout Cook-Collins great sense of humour to boot! A brilliant story The Oldham told in rhyme – a great combination!." Academy North Judges' comments: "A truly thought-provoking piece covering social injustice through to environmental catastrophe. A must read for all." 10 11 get involved in #NPCE2021 Can you complete all of these Introduce yourself to one new person from challenges by the a different academy end of the day? 1 Please tweet your Tweet us about your day best photos from so far @EducationEACT the day with the (you can ask a teacher to help you!) hashtag #NPCE2021 2

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Take a funny selfie with your 5 whole group Birmingham Repertory Theatre WiFi: Scan the QR code for Network: UVB more on this year’s Password: Un1qu3VB award winners. You’ll need to download a In an emergency, pupils free QR code reader and staff can contact: app on your device to Fuzel Choudhury read the code. 07542 230 297