The North East Film Archive is one of a network of regional film archives established to collect, preserve and show film made in, or about the North East of England. Our collections are non-fiction, and date from the early 1900s to the present day, providing a rich record of life in the region over the 20th century. Many of our films are available to watch, free of charge, on our website.
This film is part of Free
Hebburn Clegwell Boys Modern School
A class act on the stage as school boys in drag tackle Gilbert and Sullivan’s swashbuckling opera.
From the collection of:
Overview
There’s a liberal slap of greasepaint for boys at the new Clegwell Secondary Modern School who prepare to tread the boards in bonnets for a performance of Gilbert and Sullivan’s opera, Pirates of Penzance. This silent (somewhat out of focus) Kodachrome amateur film captures the industrious fun of set design, rehearsals, and the on stage slapstick of an annual theatrical production by Hebburn pupils growing up poor in the shadow of shipyards on the Tyne.