Jack Petchey Glee Club Challenge finals
Shaftsbury Theatre – Sunday 19th April 2026
We waited at the train station, when the nerves had not properly kicked in yet for most of us. After we left Waterloo Station, we got to walk over the bridge, taking in a stunning view of the London skyline.
However, it wasn’t just Glee members walking with us. We had the luxury of an ex-Tiffin student, Arjan D, being there for the finals! He helped us through the semi-finals at Epsom Playhouse, and now he was here!
We arrived and were forced to share the room with another group, who were extremely kind and welcoming (probably because their side of the room was five times bigger). Now we knew how Harry Potter felt, staying in a wardrobe. It was a similar size, to be honest.
Afterwards, they sat us all down to listen to some health and safety (boring stuff), and then we listened to some speeches (fun stuff)! That part was fun because some of the best speeches came from our very own Harrison and Saahil. Yaaaaaaaay! These weren’t live—they were filmed at a previous workshop, with all of us stifling our laughter behind the camera. However, that wasn’t the only item on the agenda, as this was the time to announce who would be deciding our fate… the celebrity judges! Yes, you read that right.
CELEBRITIES!
Now, these weren’t the kind of celebrities you don’t know—we were all very excited. But I didn’t know any of them; I think only Calan was a huge fan of two, and Miss got a photo of him talking to them afterwards. Unfortunately, we received some tragic news too. Not all of us would be able to be on stage to celebrate reaching the final because it was so pea-sized, unless we won something. So, four candidates had to be selected. And I was overlooked—it’s fine, I’m over it. Every other group performing that night was desperate to stand on that stage with everyone else, celebrating! But Miss actually struggled to find people for us!
We had two dress runs before the performance, even though Miss insisted that we stay in our Tiffin P.E. kit. The Footloose run went very well, and we had quite a long break before Shut Up and Dance.
However, it wasn’t perfect. Aside from my dodgy timing, the stage was significantly—when I say significantly, I mean SIGNIFICANTLY—smaller than Epsom Playhouse. As a result, we weren’t used to the stage size (especially considering both of these stages are smaller than Studio 4).
We sensed that Shut Up and Dance would have a few problems. We just didn’t know how serious they were.
After the second dress run, we all felt dissatisfied and almost—dare I say it—disappointed in ourselves.
But of course, we blamed it on the stage, which was fair enough.
However, Mrs Brittain had a fix. And that miraculous fix was… (drumroll, please)… to go out onto the street and practise.
So, problem solved! (That was sarcasm!)
Our goal was to turn the circle that worked so terribly on the Shaftesbury Theatre stage, and so well at Epsom Playhouse, into an oval. And about ten thousand runs and 200 nearly tragic accidents later (we nearly got run over—now that was hyperbole!), surely we would get it. Surely!
But when we were forced to go inside, for reasons beyond my comprehension—as well as no one having the will to live anymore, and some cars nearly making that a reality (and motorcycles)—there was still a sense of doubt. Whenever there is a last-minute change, it can either go as planned… or not.
I speak for everyone when I say the final was an incredible moment. We felt ecstatic, cathartic, ineffable. You could feel the buzz of the entire group. This was the time to put our two years of practice to pay off. It was time to cut loose—Footloose. The cheers of the crowd after we performed are what performers dream of, and we were lucky enough to experience that at the highest level. It went perfectly.
But before we went on stage, soaking in every single moment, there was another group who, dare I say it (again), were possibly better than us. We were worried.
A long break later—that flew by—we suddenly had to be on stage, performing this piece together for the very. last. time.
Dare I say it (for the third time) … it went…
AMAZING! Tiffin students are the definition of lastminute.com, and that was the perfect example. It was the best we had ever done it, which made sense. Adrenaline isn’t all you need, but it’s an incredible boost. And Haribos.
But did it matter? Everyone says, “As long as you took part and got to the final, that’s good,” etc., etc. But for Tiffin students, we want to do well. For some, expectations were shockingly low, but everyone would have been happy with a podium place. We were rushed down to stand below the stage and stare in awe as the judges were announced and came on. The artistic award was announced—we didn’t win, and I was glad. That had nothing to do with placement, so for me it was good news. Others, however, were worried!
Third place. I’m sure the words still ring in some of our heads…
“Well done, boys—”
My heart raced. We were the only all-boys group there.
“TIFFIN BOYS!”
We were whisked onto the stage, forced to rush because of the timing of the videos playing on screen of our performances.
Everyone was overjoyed, and funnily enough, the group that performed before Footloose—the one that had us really worried—ended up winning!
Third place, out of twelve fantastic groups!
All in all, it was a rollercoaster of a day, and I was so glad to be part of the competition.
We were incredibly fortunate to perform on the West End, in a stunning theatre called the Shaftesbury Theatre. But there was more to it than the dopamine hits and venues that doomscrolling certainly can’t replace.
Anything is possible within your reach. The Jack Petchey Glee Club Challenge made me realise that. It doesn’t just change lives—it enhances them, moulding you into who you are. And right now, for no cost whatsoever apart from giving up your lie-in on Thursday mornings (which I can assure you makes getting up every other day much easier), you can be part of Glee Club.
If you couldn’t tell already, I strongly recommend it.
So, get up, and become part of something much bigger than yourself.
Oh, and did I mention—in exchange for your hard work, you have FUN!
Arshia (Year 9 Student)