Felixstowe’s Kingsfleet school stages National Theatre Christmas play

Teachers from Felixstowe’s Kingsfleet school have teamed up with one of the country’s leading theatres to create a very special Christmas production for their pupils.

Teachers from a Felixstowe school have teamed up with one of the country’s leading theatres to create a very special Christmas production for their pupils.

Children at Kingsfleet Primary School, Felixstowe, performed Operation Christmas, a specially written play from the National Theatre, to huge acclaim from parents and staff.

The school is taking part in the National Theatre’s Let’s Play scheme, which supports primary schools in delivering school drama through training and specially written plays and songs.

Operation Christmas involved 85 children aged between 4 and 7. It told the story of three groups of angels from Angel Command, who are charged with finding three kind shepherds, three wise kings and three quiet animals. They also have to make it snow. Teachers from the school kept how this was going to happen as a secret until the performance itself, and the children reacted with delight as the flakes began to fall.

Head teacher Kyrsty Beattie said: “It was wonderful to see the children so involved and excited about their performance. They were really enjoying themselves, which was so lovely to see. Drama is such an effective way of giving children confidence, team building skills and engaging them in the school curriculum. We are very excited to be involved in the Let’s Play scheme, and hope to stage more of the productions.”

Teacher Helen Clarke praised the input given by the National Theatre professionals. “It was such a privilege to be able to go to the National Theatre and work with them, then bring all the ideas and techniques they shared with us back to the classroom. We tried out lots of the ideas and games we had been introduced to in London, and it resulted in a production which was really fun for both the children and the audience.”

Thomas Frost, who leads music provision at Kingsfleet, said: “The training was both inspiring and empowering. There are so many high quality resources to engage children in the classroom as well as on stage.”

Operation Christmas was staged for pupils and parents during the run-up to the Christmas break.