On three action-packed evenings last week, Beijing City International School's (BCIS) Secondary School students wowed audiences with their dramatic and artistic skills in their performance of the musical "The Little Shop of Horrors"!

The story follows Seymour, who lives a lonely existence as a florist's assistant in Skid Row,who one day discovers a new breed of plant that he names after his coworker crush – Audrey II – but this is no normal plant... The foul-mouthed shrub promises Seymour fortune and fame as long as he feeds it HUMAN BLOOD! Seymour's life spirals out of control as he strives to satisfy Audrey II's vivacious appetite,until Audrey II's true intentions of world domination are revealed.

Whilst the students took to the stage just last week, this production has been in the works for months. The size of the show meant all hands were on deck across the Visual and Performing Arts department - casting roles, learning lines and songs, coordinating the live band, lunchtime rehearsals, not to mention the huge efforts in set and prop design to create different sized person-eating plants! BCIS community members from across the Secondary School and beyond came together to support and help where they could, giving this rather gruesome show a genuine #BCIScommunity feel.

Students rose to the #BCISchallenge this well-known comedy/horror musical presented, with laughs and gasps heard all around the auditorium. Reflecting on her experiencedirecting this production, Sara Clark-Ignash, Visual and Performing Arts Team Leader, said "Whilst this production required a lot of hard work and an incredible community effort, when you see the kids immersing themselves in their performance, the audience engaging with the show, and all the relationships that were built along the way, it really makes it all worth it."