Corbridge pupils perform Macbeth at the Northern Stage Newcastle

With a cast of 25 students across years 7 and 8, Corbridge Middle School (CMS) performed Shakespeare's Macbeth at the Northern Stage on June 30.

They performed alongside seven other schools from across Newcastle and in front of more than 450 audience members.

CMS is the only school in Northumberland to be a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) and take part in the Associate Schools Programme once a year.

Following the sucess of the show, the pupils then performed at school across two nights.

Speaking about the performances, Thomas Golightly, Y7, Banquo: “I loved being in Macbeth - it was fun performing on stage both in school and at Northern Stage in Newcastle. I have gained confidence in performing in front of large audiences - it is scary at first but it is really satisfying when you do it. I enjoyed performing at Northern Stage because there was a 450-strong audience and the stage was massive!”

Rose Versey, Y7, Lady Macbeth also adds: “Performing on a professional stage to an audience of 450 was one of the best moments of my life, and then getting to perform at school was so rewarding. I have loved the whole experience from auditions, to rehearsing with a professional director from Northern Stage and working as a cast to produce the final performance. I really enjoyed getting into character and seeing different sides of people. Having not done any drama previously it was revolutionary and I am now a huge fan of drama and Shakespeare. I’m sad it’s all over!

Lead teacher of the Associate Schools Programme at CMS, Mrs Child, has congratulated the children on their hardwork.

She said: "It was really special to be able to provide the students with the opportunity to receive professional direction from Zoe Murtagh at Northern Stage, perform on a professional stage alongside 7 other schools from across the North East and then also perform in school.

"Myself and Miss Jones could not be prouder of the pupils who delivered superb performances.

"It has been a joy working with these young people - they have gained in self-confidence, discovered new talents within themselves and developed new friendships. They formed a lovely ‘family’ and we were all sad to see the programme end for the year."