29/12/2022
A personal reflection of 2022
As 2022 comes to a close, I thought it worth reflecting on a simple but important sadness to our family - that of the closure of the family business, the Kercher Theatre School. As this Christmas came and went, it felt so strange that there had been no Christmas show or party that there had been for the previous 48 years before. That we had not seen the current year groups perform, whether taking their first baby steps, or fully fledged seniors proudly demonstrating their skills. And that the Autumn Term no longer filled Walton Parish Hall or Bucks Museum Studios with classes of eager-to-learn performers, together with supportive parents sharing stories, memories, friendship and kids growing up , over coffee and cake. Following what turned out to be our last formal show, "Tales of Ever After” , In July at the Elgiva, Chesham, countless hours were spent over the summer to assess the viability of the school continuing into the Autumn. But with knowledge that a significant number had decided to follow their teacher to a new school, ( a repeat of what we had already experienced 5 years ago when the school reduced by almost one half ), this second exodus proved too much to overcome. Despite managing to maintain the school on line during the pandemic, a hidden consequence of Covid for us was the block it caused ( and still does) for our KT to return freely to the UK due to visa issues and be able to have physical termly contact with the school as she used to have. I cannot properly convey in words the devastation she ( and of course Linda ) felt when I had to initiate the mailing that Kercher was to be no more. The flood of public and private messages we received showed much surprise, then shared sadness of the news. We were most grateful for the feeling of support. Our family hurt still further by not being able to hold a formal “closure” ceremony, again caused by travel restriction, another forced decision out of our control . But given time, this will hopefully be addressed in the near future.
To end more positively, we believe that for 48 years, Linda, KT and their teams provided an invaluable performance school service to Aylesbury Vale across several generations of pupils, many of whom, loved it as a hobby, some of whom have successfully gone on to open their own schools, and some reaching stardom on even bigger stages. In our retirement, we regularly joyfully reflect on what the school did for so long for so many. In closing, I must make special mention of Kenton Brigden, who has given me and the school unprecedented support with business matters on closedown, let alone his huge teaching and performance skill within the school.
So to all, may 2023 and beyond bring you your dreams. And we hope you will remember being part of our special Kercher family. Peter
