Dear Key Stage 2 Parents and Carers,

We have been offered an exciting opportunity for our Key Stage 2 children to be involved in a community event over Easter 2024.  The Parish of West Cheltenham in collaboration with other local churches and schools, including All Saints Academy, Dean Close, Hester’s Way Baptist and St Thomas More Catholic churches, is producing a Community Passion Play.  The event will take place on Good Friday 29^th March 2024.

This will be an outdoor roving performance retelling the events of the last week of Jesus’ life leading up to Easter and will be take place at key sites around Hester’s Way, starting in Hesters Way Park and ending at St Aidan’s site on Coronation Square (see www.westcheltpassionplay.or.uk for more details).

There will be a combined school’s choir performing some original songs during the production and we would love our school to be represented.  The play’s Musical Director, Ruth Mulligan, will be holding a choir workshop in school during school time to teach the songs to any children who would like to be involved.  The various school groups will then gather together in early March to practise singing the songs together.

If your child would like to take part the full commitment includes:

• A singing workshop in school to learn songs;
• A combined school’s choir rehearsal on Tuesday 19^th March, (time and venue to be confirmed);
• An outdoor rehearsal on site on Sunday 24^th March, 1.30 for 1.45 start until 2pm;
• The Performance will be on Friday 29^th March, 1.30 for 1.45pm start till 4pm (refreshments after).

As this production will take place in the school holidays without the presence of staff, you will need to accompany your child to rehearsals outside of school and at the event itself and be responsible for them throughout (or nominate a responsible adult to do so).

On the performance day, the children will sing at the start of the play and at the end.  In between times they can join the audience and enjoy the performance.  As an optional extra the children are invited to sing at the Celebration of Resurrection on Sunday 31^st March 2pm at St Aidan’s to which all the audience will be invited to see the next scene of the story unfold.

If you would like your child to take part in the Community Passion Play, please can you send back the permission slip by next Friday 26^th January 2024.