The special fund created by the family and friends of Ella Philp and supported by THF has drawn enthusiastic responses from schools across Teignbridge. Ella died tragically at age just 19 in the spring of 2022, and in her memory, the Ella Philp Fund (EPF) was established for schools needing funding to mount musical and theatrical performances. Ella's passion was musical theatre, and this month sees the first fruits of the EPF - a Mozart opera, The Marriage of Figaro!
South Dartmoor Community College (SDCC) was one of the first schools to respond to the EPF offer, with Head of Creatives, Ralph Wickenden, applying for support for an ambitious project to mount one of music's great operas. He wrote in his application:
"South Dartmoor has a proud tradition of running both musicals and a staged opera yearly alongside our concerts. This has become increasingly difficult as budgets are cut in arts departments — we can only really afford to do one and even then, only with goodwill and financial generosity from parents and staff.
We are hoping to perform a reduced version of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro for our older singers and players, while offering the opportunity to dancers of all age groups, as well as within the chorus. Years ago, when we took our students to Verona, the students asked why we didn't do opera at school.. It made us, as staff, recognise that such a challenge was possible if approached carefully. Any financial support would enable us to provide a vibrant experience for the students, and also to take the opera to venues in support of charity."
Great venture, SDCC. We can't wait to see the performance!