Years Seven and Eight delighted audiences on the 4th and 5th July when they brought to life the Dickens classic, Nicholas Nickleby.

The play had moments of extreme sadness and cruelty which were quickly followed by scenes with great characters, full of humour and so taking the audience on a roller-coaster of emotions.

This was a demanding production on every level. The script was long (almost three hours in performance) and the language written in a Victorian style which you would not have imagined such young children could learn and communicate so effectively.

The time, energy and professionalism invested by Dolphin's Head of Drama, Judy Seall, in the process of bringing this production to the stage was huge and greatly appreciated by all those involved and lucky enough to see a performance.

Former pupil, Cameron Drysdale, who will be performing at the Edinburgh Festival in August, gave up some of his time to come back to Dolphin and help Judy in rehearsals for the show by working with individuals and small groups of children on particular scenes. Cameron said, “Dolphin productions hold very special memories for me, but coming back and helping has really made me aware of just how much work it takes to put on a production of this quality.”

Judy said, “It’s a team effort creating a theatre experience like this and I am very grateful to the children for their hard work, to the staff at Dolphin for their help and support and to the parents who gave up their time too helping with props, costumes and makeup. At times it's a stressful process, but the end result is very satisfying for everyone."