Kiss Me Kate, an amateur production by Amersham and Wycombe college students, proved to meet expectations on Saturday the 16th February at the Theatre on the Hill. The story involves the production of a musical version of William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew; involving overlapping storylines within. Show within a show set against the backdrop of a struggling American theatre company.

The musical was lively and effectively choreographed. The performers had the same theatrical energy as all other Amersham College productions. Despite the fact that the story line of Kiss Me Kate can be somewhat tedious at times, the actors did not fail to maintain the attention of the audience and kept it entertaining even when the pace of the story seemed slow.

The excellent lighting, sound, set and costume could not go unnoticed. What is more, all technical aspects of Theatre on the Hill shows are carried out by a group of 16 skilled students on the two year technical theatre course run by the college. Even after three tutors and one technician left, the students continued to put on shows in a professional manner. Unfortunately over past months, their efforts seemed have gone unnoticed by many senior staff at Amersham College. The college failed to deal with this situation efficiently and appropriately and failed to communicate fully to both students and parents. A student on the Technical Theatre course commented; “we were left without a tutor for three months and put under a lot of stress. The expectations of the college were unrealistically high and they did not offer us any support.”

Despite the somewhat dismissive attitude towards the technical theatre students by senior staff, the production was a success with the audience, with catchy songs and energetic acting.
Amersham and Wycombe College runs many shows per year, which are all of a high standard. Over the course of this year there will be nine shows open to the general public. Support from the public is greatly valued and enhances the students’ experience.