Tarporley High School Collaboration with Manchester Royal Exchange Theatre

Tarporley High School collaborate with Royal Exchange's extraordinary botanical laboratory in the Lounge; full of strange, interesting and deadly plants!

Tarporley High School's Year 9 Pupils' artistic talents have been blooming as a talented group of Year 9 pupils dug deep and saw their artistic talents cultivated by producing a series of sculptures inspired by the 'Little Shop of Horrors'.

In collaboration with the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester, pupils Zara Whyke, Oscar Culliford, Lauren Bellamy, Ryleigh Davies, Anna Steward, Megan Rigby, Caitlin Lee, Lauren Walker, Sophie Davies, Emma Howe, Georgia Hazeldine and Kate Edge were set the challenge of producing alien like plants from an assortment of materials, ranging from wire and plaster bandage to spray paint and fabrics.

The Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester noted "Inspired by LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, our hungry plant specimens have all been created by students from schools in Greater Manchester as part of a collaborative, school-led project aimed at supporting cultural education in the North West.

Teachers and pupils worked with professional artist Diane Pagan to design plants that are dark, deadly and full of personality. Pupils also took part in LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS inspired activities across the curriculum; writing plant poems in English, making carnivorous plant collages in Biology and creating scenes inspired by the musical in Drama.

Some of the plants have even made it onto the stage and form part of the production – watch out for the 'fans' in THE MEEK SHALL INHERIT towards the end of Act Two. But remember, however cute they look... Don't Feed the Plants!"

Head of Art Mr Bowland said, 'It's fantastic to see independent creative young minds work with such passion and skill, producing work of such a high calibre. 'The students are a role model for the Art department and highlight the great range of talent we have here at Tarporley.'

The final outcomes are on display in an installation inside the Royal Exchange Theatre and feature in the production which will be on show from December 5th – January 31st 2015.

Ed : Photograph shows Head of Art James Bowland, Pastoral Leader for Year 9 Clare Blackhurst and Natalie Diddoms from The Royal Exchange Manchester as students handed over their plants.