Schools set to play a majorrole in Rye Arts Festival

The Festival is working on an exciting and wide-ranging series of events for and including students in its 43rd annual Festival which this year starts on September 12 and spans two weeks.

Students and school pupils will help launch the festival with a colourful street procession which will feature the drumming and percussion talents of Rye Blocco.

“It is highly fitting that the students should be launching the Festival this year since they are going to play such a large and active involvement in what we hope will be the biggest and, more importantly, best Rye Arts Festival, which we hope will offer something for everyone,” says Festival chairman Ian Graham-Bryce.

He went on to say: “The Festival has been involved with local schools over the years but we have really intensified our activity this year. We are becoming more closely involved with the students and staff of the Studio School as well as maintaining and growing involvement with Rye College and Rye Community Primary School.

“As a starting point the Rye Arts Festival has invited two of the Studio School students to not just attend its regular committee meetings but to play a full and active part in planning for and organising this year’s Festival.

“We were delighted to welcome Bella and Jade on board back in February and we have been delighted by their enthusiasm and input already and look forward to working with them over the coming months.”

“Jade and Bella have been tasked with helping bring Rye Arts Festival into the 21st century and while the Festival is working on building a new website and, for the first time, online ticketing, they will be charged with improving Social Media, including Facebook.

“They will also be arranging photography of every event at this year’s Festival, which will be undertaken by the students at the Studio School, plus students’ reports of the events.

“They will be overseeing a Rwandan photography exhibition in the Milligan Theatre together with a fashion show with clothing designed and made by the highly talented students.”

Rye Arts Festival is looking to an even wider involvement with the Studio School, including the staging of the opera La Traviata, which will be sung by a cast of professional opera singers with the music played by a professional orchestra.

Its conductor Alasdair Kitchen, who was responsible for the successful Cosi Fan Tutte at Rye Arts Festival two years ago, is coming to Rye in July to meet with Studio School students, who will be engaged in the set design and then production of paintings as part of the set, as well as supporting the costume design.

One of UK’s most popular authors Ian Whybrow will be working specially with the children of Rye Primary.