Just enough time for a spot of shopping at Westfield mall in Shepherds Bush, West London. The students' had a great time exploring the variety of shops and eateries before heading back to the hotel at 3:30pm to pack and get ready to go to the airport.

By 5:00pm everybody was ready to go and we all made it safely to the airport and onto the plane before landing back in Abu Dhabi at 7:00am on Thursday 28th March. A very tired but happy group made their way into the arrivals lounge where they were greeted by their parents, who incidentally were really pleased to have them back.

Thank you all for such an excellent trip - it was fantastic to see you all developing as the week moved along and their was a great sense of team spirit throughout. Enjoy your holidays and see you on 15th April.....

A cold and breezy morning welcomed us into day five but the group was keen get out and back onto the streets of London for another action packed day. First stop was a backstage tour of the National Theatre in which the students' received a great insight into the technical side of staging professional productions. We were taken around four different theatres, each with their own unique style and the students' had the opportunity to ask questions as they went around. Murat showed a great interest in the stage props, especially a severed head!

With a quick stop for lunch we then made our way into theatre land for a really insightful tour of the area led by Margo, our expert tour guide. She explained how each theatre came into being and the various famous people who have graced the stages over the years.

After the walking tour we headed out for dinner and then onto our final show of the trip, Billy Elliot'. This was an excellent experience and gave the students' a great opportunity to see young people their own age performing to a professional standard in the West End. It also provided an excellent insight into the social and political history of England in the 1970's.

After such a long day out and about we made our way back on the busy tube system our hotel in Kensington. Bring on the shopping tomorrow!!!!   

Today the students' experienced a range of interactive workshops run by professional performers as well as yet another fantastic musical show. In the morning we left our hotel and jumped aboard a tube train and made our way to The Globe Theatre. This replica of the original which was built in 1599 provided the students' with an excellent insight into Shakespearean England. We was guided around the theatre by Margo who provided a great explanation about life during Tudor England and the perception of the performing arts in society at the time. We had the opportunity to explore inside the building and she explained everything from why the expensive seats were behind the stage, to why the set was considered to be highly decedent for its time. After the tour, the group took part in an interactive workshop run by Margo. She led the group through a range of activities which explored themes from the play Macbeth.

After a brief spot of lunch the group then made their way to Rada studios. This is where many famous actors have passed through on their way to stardom. Here the students' experienced two interactive workshops; stage combat and Samba dancing. Everyone really enjoyed this experience of working within a professional studio and the opportunity to develop their performance skills was excellent.

Into the evening, we made our way over to Victoria where we visited the Apollo theatre to watch Wicked. The students were really excited to see this show and it certainly didn't disappoint. Here are some of their reviews after the performance:

Jelena - The set was amazing - it reached from the floor to the ceiling.
Omar - Fantastic - the characters and the story kept me on the the edge of my seat throughout the show
Jaqueline - I thought that the story was really interesting and the singing was fantastic!    

Onto day 3 and we headed east and into the land of Sweeney Todd, dockyards and the birthplace of time. We made our way across the city to Westminster on the tube, which thankfully everyone has become more than accustomed to now. We then jumped aboard a river ferry and headed towards Greenwich with a stiff easterly breeze whistling through the upper deck and beating at the bow.
Once at our destination the students' had the opportunity to explore the surrounding area on foot with highlights including the maritime museum, the Cutty Sark and the outdoor market. We then head back down the river to Westminster and then walked our way through to Covent Garden, passing by the iconic Big Ben clock tower.
With a fine meal provided at the Globe pub in Covent Garden we then headed back to the hotel before walking out to a local cinema to see 'Oz the Great and Powerful'. After such a long day, there were more than a few sleepy heads bobbing in the cinema (including the teachers) but everyone thoroughly enjoyed the movie. 
  

Variety in theatre was the focus of day two with the main highlights including West end visits to see 'War Horse' and 'We Will Rock You'. The day began with a workshop session with Derek from the cast of War Horse. He spoke with the students' about his role as one of the key puppeteers in charge of controlling Topthorn, one of the two main horse characters in the show. The students' asked some great questions which encouraged Derek to explore everything from how he auditioned for the show to the strict lifestyle which he needs to follow to keep up with the rigours of the job.

To reach Covent Garden where we would see the show we walked from our hotel and made our way down to the underground train system, lead by our illustrious leader Gregan. The journey was a success and we made it in time to take in some of the sights of the famous area and a grab a bite to eat before heading into the theatre. The show was absolutely fantastic and very much enjoyed by all. Here are some of the reviews:

Sarah - "Amazing.... I couldn't believe how lifelike the horses were - you could even see them breathing!"
Victoria - "The show was fantastic... The characters were great and the story really kept my interest throughout the performance".
Omar - "It was really good... The puppeteers are really professional - I forgot that they were even there after the first ten minutes".  

With a quick dinner stop taken care of, we then moved onto see our second show of the day - 'We Will Rock You'. Based on the music of the rock band Queen, this musical tells the story of how a group of musicians are trying to find their own musical identity and overcome the androgynous musical style which has been inflicted on society. The show was really entertaining and had everyone standing up and singing along. Here are some of the students' thoughts:

Ahmed - "Wow.... I wasn't sure about this one before we arrived, but I really enjoyed clapping along with the music and seeing the great performances on stage"
Murat - "I thought that the story was great... I really liked that it was set in the future"

Back onto the tube we returned to our hotel after what was a fantastic day of theatre enjoyed by all. Just cannot wait for day three!

We've landed.... All arrived safely to our hotel in Kensington and met with our guide for the week - Gregan. He welcomed us to our lodgings and guided us around the local area and onto a well deserved buffet meal in a restaurant right next to Hyde park. We then headed back to the hotel for an early night to recover from the long travel day and to prepare ourselves for the action packed 'day two' which awaits us!