St Judes Year Six always puts on an end of year play. It’s a perfect way to celebrate the student finishing primary school, and makes a break from SATs. This year it was a musical Alice in Wonderland. My daughter volunteered me to help out with the scenery.

I was over joyed to help out. Any excuse to splash paint all over a canvas. The school very graciously gave over the floor of the art room, so I could paint a giant backdrop for them. I made up a mood board, I wanted something psychedelic and strange but also with the fun of the classic looney tunes back grounds. So I was thinking of Maurice Noble and Ernie Nordli background art for Chuck Jones in the 1950s. I looked at Mary Blairs concept work for Disney, and have always liked the artist Paul Morrison’s black and white artworks. Anyway I went through the examples with Year Six’s teacher to see what best fitted with her ideas.

The kids in the class also got into it and we had them help out with the smaller bits of scenery. I made them a little cheat sheet to explain what we were after. My wife came in to help out as well as even with small groups of kids it took a fair bit of control. But I think they liked helping out.

We had great fun making the roses for the Queen to complain about at the end. They were my wife’s idea. I made some concrete bases for them to stand in.

On the night it was all a great success, and the scenery didn’t really matter as the kids were amazing. But I felt very lucky to be part of the school team that helped make it all happen.