Following his passion for backstage theatre, Jonathan Reeks (S6) has accepted a place to study Technical Theatre at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.

Talking about his experience and influences in school, Jonathan shared: “Throughout my time in senior school I have been interested in the technical aspects of theatre productions and participated in every senior school show for the last 6 years.  

“With thanks to the amazing facilities in the Craig Centre for Performing Arts at Robert Gordon’s College, I have been able to gain a lot of experience. The equipment is industry standard which helps pupils develop real life experience using professional control desks.

“I am also very grateful to the support I received from the Drama department who have enabled me to undertake an NPA in Technical Theatre, in addition to my current studies, which has broadened my experience of the backstage world. During all of my time in the senior school I was coached and mentored by Mr G Jamieson. He always encouraged me to go further with my designs and helped me to gain experience in the audio/visual side of the school.”

Mr Milarvie, Head of Drama added: “It has been wonderful to see Jonathan develop his confidence and technical theatre skills. Jonathan has been an integral part of the success of the productions at the College over a number of years. We have seen a growing number of pupils showing an interest in technical theatre and Jonathan has been instrumental in helping others develop by sharing his skills and experience with the younger pupils. The department and the College are delighted for Jonathan and wish him well as he begins a new chapter in his career at Guildhall. We look forward to hearing how he gets on and welcoming him back to school when he is home in Aberdeen.”

Guildhall School is ranked as one of the top ten performing arts institutions in the world (QS World University Rankings 2020) and recently awarded top conservatoire in the Complete University Guide Music League Table 2020. The School is a global leader of creative and professional practice which promotes innovation, experiment and research, with over 1,000 students in higher education, drawn from over 70 countries around the world. The School is also the UK’s leading provider of specialist music training at the under-18 level with nearly 2,500 students in Junior Guildhall and the Centre for Young Musicians.