Attended by a core group of passionate and talented young artists, the Art Club had a fun and productive year, working through many exciting projects that yielded highquality products. Experimental and traditional mediums were at the core, and the boys tried their hands at inks, drawing and painting. I look forward to seeing this group mature in ability and confidence. Many exciting projects are in the pipeline for the Art Club in 2024, and we look forward to another inspiring year. Mrs Joanne Hicks Teacher in Charge Art Club Chess Club Kearsney College continues to embrace the camaraderie that chess brings, as demonstrated by our recent commendable performance in the Upper Highway League. Placing sixth out of 11 competing teams, our chess team showcased determination and strategic acumen. Integral to our success and enjoyment is our support for youth development programmes. This year we partnered with Chess Passion Youth, a local development chess club, and initiatives like this help to instil in our pupils the values of discipline, community service and perseverance. We extend our congratulations to Pembroke for clinching the House trophy, a testament to their exceptional teamwork and dedication. We also celebrate the outstanding achievements of Thomas Blomfield, recognised as the best junior player, and Jua Van Wyk, honoured as the best senior player, for their remarkable contributions to the sport and for setting a benchmark for excellence within our chess community. As we reflect on our accomplishments and look ahead, we are committed to nurturing a culture of strategic thinking and sportsmanship, instilling in our students the values of resilience and adaptability. Mr Bradley Savage-Reid Teacher in Charge School Production Kat and the Kings Kearsney makes history on stage Kearsney College’s recent production of the hit Broadway musical “Kat and the Kings” by the legendary South African musical partnership of David Kramer and Taliep Petersen took KZN by storm. It affirmed Kearsney’s rightful place in the upper echelons of the cultural community. Our production was met with rave reviews from well-known art critics, such as Billy Suter - who called our show the “best high school musical he has ever seen”. These sentiments were echoed by all theatre lovers and theatre professionals who saw our production. The most prolific aspect of the show is that a school or amateur theatre company has never performed it. Our artistic team, led by Bernard Kruger and Daisy Spencer had to craft together their own version of the show straight from the conductor’s score of the 1999 Broadway production and a reworked, never-performed version of the script that David Kramer prepared for a new production of the show that was meant to be staged in the UK during the Covid pandemic, but this never happened. David Kramer was involved in the production from the sidelines and offered valuable insight into the characters and the real-life events on which the story is based. This is a truly South African story that highlights an important part of our country’s history in a unique and compassionate way. It is full of laughter and has a soundtrack of catchy songs. To add gravitas and help set the scene for our audience, we involved the District Six Museum in Cape Town, which assisted us with media, photographs and information about the people from that neighbourhood and their stories. Our Drama Department, under the guidance of Ms Emily Stockil-Smith, created a series of tableaux and dramatic prose to enhance the museum’s artefacts and displays. However, the real stars of this show were the incredible cast of talented actors. Six young stars in the making who had to carry an entire two-hour show from start to end, seamlessly singing, acting and dancing their way from one scene to the next. The only time they were off stage was to reach for a prop or for a lightning-fast costume change. They were Mohau Tladi and Sethu Magubane (the younger and older versions of the protagonist, Kat Diamond) joined by Kat’s best friends Bingo (Khwezi Msimang), Ballie (Tjama Keta) and Magoo (Mpande Luhlongwane), plus the only female character in the show, Lucy, brilliantly portrayed by the talented Nkanyezi Kunene from Westville Girls’ High School. Bjorn Kruger, Art Club Talented musicians who made up the live band for the production.
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