Our Senior School Drama and Music Departments’ outstanding work has been rewarded with a prestigious performing arts award.
The teams triumphed in the face of exceptional competition to win the Dynamic Performing Arts award in the 2025 Muddy Stilettos Best Schools Awards.
Now in their third year, the Best Schools Awards received entries from more than 500 schools countrywide. While the judges were impressed by all of the submissions, they felt that STAHS’ entry stood out for its ‘originality and attention to detail’.
The Drama Department’s offerings this academic year include our Year 7-9 students’ impressive take on Emil and the Detectives, the specially commissioned supernatural drama, In the Watcher’s Eye, and a collaboration with the Music Department on the whole school musical production of Les Misérables.
Director of Drama Chris Bhantoa said: ‘We’re absolutely thrilled to receive this award, which recognises the creativity, ambition, and hard work of our students and staff.
‘At STAHS we are deeply committed to providing rich, high-quality creative opportunities for every student. It’s a real privilege to lead such a dedicated and inspiring team of Drama Department staff who bring their passion and expertise to every project. We’ve already started work on our next whole school production, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which we’re very excited about!’
Acting Director of Music Julian Smith said: ‘We had a lot of fun shaping the scenes in Les Misérables and instilling the confidence in the performers to seek their absolute best. The lead roles were particularly demanding, requiring flexibility to navigate the wide vocal ranges. We were fortunate to have young singers who rose to the challenge, putting themselves beyond their comfort zone, to achieve a remarkable product.
‘Similarly, the orchestral parts were demanding due to the frequent key and time signature changes; everyone worked hard to make the score come alive. Behind the scenes we had an army of music staff who assisted with vocal coaching and orchestral playing. A project like this required a ‘whole school community’ spirit, and STAHS has that in abundance!’
The other finalists in the Dynamic Performing Arts category were Hurstwood House, Dorking; Magdalen College School, Oxford; Manchester High School for Girls, and Radley College, Abingdon.
