Princethorpe Welcomes OP Emilio Doorgasingh Back For Official Opening Of The Clarkson Theatre
On Saturday 10 February, the College was delighted to welcome back Old Princethorpian and professional actor, Emilio Doorgasingh (1983), to officially open The Clarkson Theatre.
The theatre underwent a dramatic transformation last summer, with new retractable seating and state of the art lighting and audio visual equipment. The refurbishment has provided the College with the perfect opportunity to recognise the contribution made by former Headmaster Fr Bill Clarkson MSC, by naming it after him.
Comments Ed Hester, "Fr Bill Clarkson had such a huge impact on Princethorpe College in the early days and was so respected and loved by the pupils and staff in his care. We wanted to take this opportunity to remember him for posterity in the daily life of the school."
The opening ceremony coincided with the last night of the College's production of Arabian Nights, and Emilio, who has a string of TV, Theatre and Film credits to his name, generously took time before the show to talk to the young cast and answer questions about his life as an actor. Questions ranged from how to combat nerves, the best ways to get into acting and what was it like appearing in A Game of Thrones!
Prior to the opening ceremony and Emilio's speech, invited guests gathered for an informal Eastern-style reception. Those present included former staff Fr Teddy O'Brien MSC, Lou and Barbara Skiffington, Peter Jewel and OP contemporary Alex Johnson. We were also delighted to welcome those who had been involved in the refurbishment, parent David Lomas, architect Tony Pugh, Foundation staff Eddie Tolcher and Alex Darkes, along with Heads of Drama, Aileen Cefaiello and Vicky Roberts and some of the cast.
Emilio spoke eloquently about his time at the College and how the teachers had inspired his love of the theatre and set him off on his career. He also spoke movingly about Fr Clarkson and how his wise counsel helped him through his teenage years.
Ed Hester continued, "Our thanks go to Emilio for making this such a special evening for the cast and all concerned with the production and refurbishment of the theatre."
After the event Emilio managed to catch up with his former Economics and Business teacher, Peter Grffin.
Commenting on his visit, Emilio said, “It was fantastic to be back at Princethorpe 35 years after leaving, to reopen a theatre I had played in all those years ago, when Fr Clarkson was headmaster. A place that had originally been the gym where I did P.E. To see pupils that same age perform a show I have since done professionally; watched by teachers who taught me there and then. How magical!"
Emilio now lives in London and is currently rehearsing for the part of Leonato, Hero's father, for the soon to open Shakespeare's Globe production of Much Ado About Nothing.
If you would like to listen to Emilio's speech about his time at Princethorpe and his memories of Fr Clarkson please click here.
If you would like to see Emilio in action visit http://www.shakespearesglobe.com/whats-on-2018/much-ado-about-nothing for ticket information.