Grease is the word for Shirebrook Academy

Pupils at Shirebrook Academy christened their new theatre with a knock out performance of Grease.

The sell out show was put on over three nights earlier this month at the school, in Common Lane, marking the official opening of the theatre.

Over 100 students auditioned for roles in the musical and the successful 32 started rehearsing in September.

The whole production was a team project, with crew members, costumes to be designed, props to be made, a set to be decorated and the band to learn all the famous Grease tracks.

Director Natalie Mehrotra-Hughes said the whole show was a roaring success.

She said: “Everyone loved it – the show was a complete sell out.

“The cast and crew worked so hard over the five months to make it perfect and it really was; they did so great.

“And to have a successful first show in our new theatre was exactly what we wanted.”

To get the school in the mood - and boost the ticket sales early on - the cast staged a flash mob performance of We Go Together.

Natalie said: “The whole school was buzzing. No one knew it was going to happen except the cast and everyone just descended and started singing.

“That really got the whole school talking and the tickets sold out very quickly after that.”

The ensemble performed for three nights to a packed out audience – and gave each show their all.

Natalie said: “The atmosphere in school was like nothing we’d ever felt before and everyone loved it.

Students were full of confidence and surpassed their own expectations with the whole thing.

“And many said at the end of the last performance that it had changed their lives and they couldn’t wait to be involved in the next one!”

The show was well received by the hundreds who saw the show over the three nights, with many leaving feedback commenting on the professionalism of the production