6th August 2024
Bristol Old Vic Theatre School commemorated the 70th anniversary of Salad Days by hosting a Sing Along event at Downside Road on Sun 28 Jul. Open to alumni and theatre enthusiasts, attendees embraced the familiar music of Julian Slade and Dorothy Reynolds which has become synonymous with the Theatre School itself. Archived material was unearthed, and the Weston Studio was alive with song!
Guests were welcomed by Principal & CEO, Fiona Francombe, and Director of Drama, Ali de Souza, before starting a vocal warmup and familiarisation of the tunes led by BOVTS Head of Music & Singing, Jonathan Grosberg. The principal roles of Jane, Tim, Fosdyke and Timothy’s Dad were sung by acting alumni Lisa Bowerman (’84), Peter Forbes (’84), Neil Bett (’89) and Adam Stone (’04) respectively.
Other guests included Rupert and Richard Slade, nephews of the late Julian, and Neil Rhoden (former Musical Director of BOVTS). Neil surprised the principal cast by joining them for an early morning run-through of the score, along with Jonty and current BA Professional Acting student Osian Davies.
During the lunch break, participants were treated to a tour of the facilities, regaling each other with memories and anecdotes from their years in training. A full sing-through followed in the afternoon, and spirits were running high as we ended the day with tea, cake and another chance to reminisce.
Naomi Miller, Head of Development, commented:
The Theatre School expresses its thanks to all attendees, particularly our returning alumni and Salad Days principals. If you are a former student of BOVTS looking to reconnect, please consider signing up to our alumni mailing list by contacting the team.
Images: Kate Chaffey
