Priory pupils tackle serious themes in its next production

The next school production will be ‘Chequered Flags to Chequered Futures’ by Mark Wheeller.

It’s a serious subject, telling the true story of Chris Gilfoy, the Rookie’s World Champion Bangor Racer in 2000.
In 2006, Chris was being driven by a racing friend who was driving too fast, neither was wearing a seatbelt and the driver was uninsured. They narrowly avoided killing another driver and crashed into a wall.

The fast-paced story tells the life-changing consequences for all three involved.

Year 11 Kayleigh plays the lead role of Jane, the mother of the driver Shelley.

“It is very serious and there are a lot of words to learn. It was hard to do and you can’t mess up and cover it with dancing – it’s all about the words.

“While I like doing the singing shows, this is a strong message.”

Lottie plays Chris who is seriously injured in the crash. “I do like taking part in dramas like this. It’s different to what we normally do at Priory.”

Caleb plays Roy, the dad of Chris.  He said: “I can’t sing and dance so this is a good story for me to be involved in. It has made me think more about what I will do when I learn to drive.”

The mum of Chris is Ann, played by Libby. She said: “I always audition for all Priory’s shows. This is a lot more acting than musicals. It does make you think about the consequences of driving fast.”

Molly plays Bryoni. “I am the daughter of Chris and I talk about living through the accident and the aftermath.”
Lead Teacher of Drama, Miss Howell, tells us why she chose this play for Priory’s next production, 

“Chequered Flags to Chequered Futures is a play about speeding and the consequences of our actions in a car whether behind the wheel or not.

“As a school we have been affected by the loss of students in road traffic incidents and understand the devastating impact these accidents have on families and friends.

“As a Drama teacher who believes that Performing Arts can educate and impact society I felt very strongly that we shouldn’t shy away from these difficult conversations but actually face them full on and make people question our individual responsibility when on the road. 

The students already participating in this project have been questioning some difficult ethical and moral issues and all have been emotionally engaged with the work.

“This is a must see production for us all to understand the personal impact of these tragic events.”

Performances are Wednesday, 7 May and Thursday, 8 May at 7pm.  Tickets are now on sale via SCOPay and at Reception at £7 each. Age restricted to Year 7+. Show ends at 8.15pm approx.