Drama

DRAMATIC TIMES!

CHURCHILL COMPETITION

The prestigious ESU-Churchill Public Speaking Competition is the largest contest in England and Wales. A group of Year 9 girls, who attended debating club, participated in this competition and made it to the second round. The competition tested our debating skills in various ways such as: speaking in front of judges in an orderly fashion, engaging with the audience and working as a team. We were competing against people in Year 10 and 11. In fact, we were the only Year 9 pupils competing! Personally, I really enjoyed it. I made stronger bonds with people I already knew, and even made new friends. Maryam Hamam 9C

PERFORMING SHAKESPEARE

On the 22nd of February, I competed in the inter-school final of the Performing Shakespeare competition. Before being chosen for this I had to upload video of me performing a Shakespearian monologue of my choice. I chose to do a monologue from the play ‘Othello’ by a character called Iago. The inter-school final consisted of doing that same monologue in front of a panel of judges and small audience of a Year 7 form. When I found out the news that I had been asked to progress on to the next stage of the competition, I was very excited to continue improving my performance. For the next stage of the competition I had to devise a two-minute introduction to my monologue and pair that with my three-minute performance. In my introduction, I had to include an overview of the play and what my character’s motivation was during the monologue, I also spoke about how I was going to portray my character in performance. I had a great day at the competition; it was an amazing opportunity. I would really encourage anyone interested in acting to get involved in the competition. Ella Hughes 9S

JOINT DRAMA

The Senior and Junior Joint Productions were a huge success. A cast of students in Years 10 to 13 brought to life ‘Clockwork’: an adaptation of and departure from ‘A Clockwork Orange’ that focuses on what it’s like to be a teenager today. In the Spring term ‘Brainstorm’ was devised by students in Years 7 to 9 and explored the teen brain.

This forty-five minute stage adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s beloved novel was performed by two casts in February. The combination of the set, which consisted of a piano and handdrawn portraits of the cast by Yaqeen Alkaabi (Year 12), with the realistic costumes gave the feeling of a truly immersive play and encapsulated all features of a chaotic family environment. This feeling was reinforced with the seating for the audience being placed to surround the stage which allowed the audience to feel involved and immersed in the performance. The consistent use of accents captured the true authenticity of 19th century America. Georgia McGinty (Year 12), who played Laurie, described her experience as extremely enjoyable. Georgia’s favourite part in the play was her entrance, in which she jumped out of a box. She explained that, although she was playing a character of the opposite gender, she found ease in them both being the same age but also stated that ‘every character is different’. Anika Maini (Year 12) shared Georgia’s struggle with balancing workload and rehearsals but explained that taking part in the production gave her a break from revising and something to look forward to. Being one of the older cast members meant that she could transfer looking after younger cast members to her character, who was the older sister in the family. She mentioned that one notable moment in the play for her was the ending, in which everyone was on stage at once and made for a ‘satisfying and fulfilling’ end to the play. Molly Bell (Year 12) performed the character of Jo. Much like the other cast members, Molly was able to relate to her character, who enjoys reading and writing and who rarely complies to social norms. These similarities once again show Miss Talbot’s skill and attention to detail in the casting process. When asked about their experience, the cast said that they would recommend and urge all other students to take part in any productions that they have the chance to. They said that Miss Talbot was a ‘good listener and effective in decreasing the gap between actor and director’ which made for an enjoyable and unforgettable experience leaving them with lasting memories and skills. Katie Wild, Year 13 Girls in Years 7-9 put on a performance of ‘Sara Crewe – The Little Princess’ in October. The girls were cast while Covid restrictions were in place: at the time, the school was operating in bubble configurations and it was not possible for students in Years 7 and 8 to share the same space. Keen to involve as many students as possible in this production, School decided to put two casts together. Girls then shared the performance each night of the run, with different casts taking to the stage to perform Act One and Acts Two & Three. As ever, the casts were grateful to our resident theatre technician, Mr Kyle. Not only did he make three wonderful sets for our production of ‘Little Princess’, he managed the complicated scene changes as well as the light and sound cues. Congratulations to all our young actors and Assistant Stage Managers. Special thanks to those girls who stepped in as understudies at the last minute and performed with scripts to allow the show to go on!

MATILDA

As a cast member myself, I can certainly say that a lot of work has been put into this play, not only by the students but also by the teachers. Since Christmas, we have put in 120 hours of rehearsal, leading up to the performances. It would be wrong of me to say that it has been easy, but the friendships I have made overpower the hard moments. Every week, we have rehearsed for three and a half hours - and then there was line learning! Not to the mention the many Sundays spent rehearsing (and celebrating birthdays too!). Whether spending time trying to figure out how to manage the set changes, practising new songs countless times, listening to others, I have enjoyed every single moment. We received the scripts just after Christmas, and had to learn our lines in just a few weeks. From then on it was go, go, go! The days consisted of listening, rehearsing and practising with lots of smiles included. As a cast, we have learnt multiple songs and choreographed them, with the expert help of Mrs Rigby. The group chat notifications never stopped; ‘How many days till show day?’ was a popular message. This show has been a pleasure to be included in, and I am grateful to the cast; if they weren’t already, everyone has become a friend. Thank you to the cast, the teachers and the people who have made this play possible. Sophia Wormald 9D