Emil and the Detectives – a successful collaboration Organisation for the Year 8 and 9 production of Emil and the Detectives began in early 2021. Two things struck me while working on this production. The first The second thing that impressed me was the incredible maturity was the endless positivity of this brilliant cast of young men and shown by the cast during rehearsals this year. This play relied on women. Even when it seemed that we would never get to stage the a large chorus to create the sense of scale necessary to tell the show, the cast remained upbeat. During lockdown, they turned up story of a young country boy who travels to a hostile city. Devising enthusiastically to Zoom rehearsals despite having no idea whether and rehearsing chorus scenes can be a long and painstaking we would ever be able to perform. When the hard decision was process, but the cast remained focused and positive throughout. made last year to postpone until 2022, they were understanding, They contributed creatively, worked collaboratively and made the supportive and made the commitment to all come back and try whole experience very special indeed. again this year. Of course, none of this should come as a surprise. If Emil and Emil and the Detectives is the story of a small boy overcoming the Detectives tells us anything, it is to never underestimate seemingly insurmountable odds and that is exactly the spirit that the ingenuity and tenacity of young people. the cast of Newington and PLC students embodied in the 14 months leading up to performance. Mr Paul Eastway Head of Drama 1 Tristan Holmes and Zoe Guard 2 Caitlyn Walker, Daniel Carter and Xander Wallace 3 Ashan Retna, Lucy Carlisle and Adam Younes 4 Daniel Carter, Tristan Holmes, Marcus Ke, Jonathon Fitzgerald and Ruben Merani 5 Fergus FitzSimons, Gil Gracie, Finn Dauphinee and Daniel Carter 6 Xander Wallace, Tristan Holmes and Marcus Ke 7 Surraya Carey and Angus Young 8 Liam Mitchell-Zancanaro Image: Ben MacDessi and Finn Dauphinee 1 2