Actress Emily Bevan and songwriter James ‘Yami’ Bell officially open St Andrew’s Pangbourne’s new performing arts centre

A school’s performing arts centre has been officially opened by some famous former pupils, writes Grace Dowdney.

Former St Andrew’s School pupils, actress and writer, Emily Bevan, and songwriter, vocalist, producer and publisher, James ‘Yami’ Bell, returned to their old school in Pangbourne recently to unveil the new facilities.

Headteacher Ed Graham said: “We are honoured to have Old St Andrew’s pupils, Emily Bevan and Jamie Bell, officially open our new performing arts centre today and look forward to the next decade of show-stopping performances and events.”

Marking the start of an exciting opportunity in St Andrew's 90th Year, Ms Bevan and Mr Bell shared how the school had helped create their passions for the performing arts.

And they continued to talk about how St Andrew’s had inspired their future careers.

Mr Bell is best known for his co-writing and singing on Tiësto’s track ‘The Business’, which earned him a GRAMMY, Billboard and BRIT Award nomination, and reached number four in the UK singles chart.

Ms Bevan’s career is centred around theatre, film and television.

She has won BAFTAs for In The Flesh, Doc Martin, Grantchester, Midsomer Murders, The Thick of It, St Trinians, Breathe, Temple, and Domina.

She is also an accomplished author, having published 'The Diary of Losing Dad' in 2022, reflecting on her personal experiences.

During the grand opening, current pupils wowed the audience with a performance of piano recitals, choir songs, big band, a scene from ‘Oliver!’ and high energy dance routines, “causing everyone to whoop and clap in time to the beats” added a spokesperson for the school.

According to a representative, the new space involved converting a 1980s school sports hall and installing specialist theatre equipment and state-of-the-art retractable seating for 200 people.

“It will greatly enhance the already-impressive school campus and provide increased opportunities for pupils in the creative arts, alongside hosting community engagement events,” the spokesperson said.

“An enormous thank you must also go to our current and former families who have generously donated towards this exciting and inspiring project,” Mr Graham added.

The school said it was now looking forward to the future events and opportunities created by the new opening of the new facility.