ELEVEN performing arts students from Brockenhurst College refused to be beaten the lockdown and performed their 40-minute end-of-year musical production remotely.

The second-year level 3 students told their teacher they were determined the show had to go on despite coronavirus restrictions.

Students Annabel Botham, Adam Chadwick, Sophie Clark, Talisa Chalcraft, Jack Elston, Jonathan Goodson, Maigan Hibberd-Biss, Skye Hughes, Megan Marsh, Brandon Rabie and Maddie Trueman gave their interpretation of Date Nights, an original show written by Performing Arts teacher Marco Gosling-Pezzolo.

As well as performing, student Jack Elston mixed the individual audio of his peers before sending the work to Marco, who voiced and animated the introduction.

Jack said afterwards: “Our class has worked together for two years, and we’ve performed all sorts of crazy and wonderful parts and productions, so to be put into lockdown and unable to perform with each other was very strange.

“However, being able to still perform our show from our homes made the course complete. It was powerful and reflective of the fun we have had, and still ended up being the perfect way to end our time at Brock.”

Date Nights uses the format of a TV programme but is made for theatre and shot in the style of Channel 4’s hit show Goggle Box.

The story focusses on several characters’ speed-dating antics, with each one expressing their feelings through music.

In normal times the cohort would have performed to a packed audience over several nights in the College’s Kemball Theatre.

Teacher Marco Gosling-Pezzolo said: “Our students have worked so hard over the last two years at College, so we just had to celebrate the end of their course.

“I was so pleased at how well they all performed, and their voices sounded incredible.

“It would have sounded amazing in a packed theatre, but they told me they were determined to do it despite the lockdown, so performing online is the next best thing,” he added.