4 minute read
Drama
Cut short as it was in the Spring/Summer of 2020, the academic year got off to a shaky start in September 2021.
Year 13 had not been able to complete their devised assessments as they would normally have done in the Summer term so getting those underway was the first priority. The group chose to work in the style of newly appointed practitioner ‘The Paper Birds’ – a theatre company specialising in issue based verbatim work who have visited Kingswood a number of times previously so with whom the students were familiar.
Thankfully, Year 13 were already sick of Covid so not too keen on incorporating anything relating to the pandemic into their work and settled on the issue of phone scamming. The resulting piece, performed in an empty space due to strict bubble regulations, was brilliantly lit by budding lighting designer Sam Bernstein. Sam is off to Guildhall to study lighting design having turned down many other prestigious Drama schools and we are sure that he has a bright future ahead!
YEAR 13 DEVISED
The end of the Autumn term was dark, wet and pretty miserable. No Drama production to celebrate the end of term for us this year. The scholars continued to work on their online production of ‘Brainstorm’, started right back at the beginning of the pandemic, and we all tried to look on the bright side as the country entered yet another lockdown and we all went back to online lessons.
The Department rallied with extra-curricular activities including ‘The Lockdown Comedy Club’ where students explored some comic legends and recreated their iconic routines. Year 11 and 13 were forced to record monologues or create theoretical designs as the weeks ticked on. Nevertheless, we saw some brilliant performances including a spine-tingling performance of Pip’s monologue from Andrew Bovell’s play ‘Things I Know To Be True’ by Bea Goodliffe.
Eventually we were back in school, and it was straight back down to business. First up the Year 12 students chose Kneehigh as their practitioner and they welcomed the first live audience back to the Kingswood Theatre in over 15 months with their fabulous devised piece, ‘The Bay of The Dead’.
YEAR 12 DEVISED
YEAR 10 DEVISED
Next up were Year 10 with a range of original works and the audience enjoyed a fascinating explanation of Freud’s concepts of the ID, Ego and Super Ego; were asked to consider the right level of discipline a parent should exercise over their children; watched a dull Victorian marriage end in a brutal murder; got to know a group of teens during a Saturday morning detention and compared the original version of Rapunzel to its modern Disney counterpart. It was a great night out at the theatre and the performers all played their parts superbly. In addition, there was an impressive lighting design by Leyla Aysan and several costume designs on show – including a stunning Victorian ensemble by Scarlett Cunningham. The performances were well received and the students were glad to get back on stage for the first time since they were in Year 8!
We had always known that a production during a pandemic was a tough ask so the idea of a promenade performance around the beautiful school grounds was agreed. ‘A Walk in the ‘Wood’ consisted of ten extracts from a variety of plays from the Grimm Tales of Red Cap, Ashputtel and Rumpelstiltskin performed by Year 7 students, to childhood classics Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Around the World in 80 Days and Swallows and Amazons performed by Year 8. There was also an extract from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night performed by Year 9 students Alma Bode, Martha Pellici, Evie Brown, Amelie Hockey and Matthew Wadsworth as well as a hilarious scene from the comic farce ‘One Man, Two Guv’nors’ performed by Year 12 students Ted Nightingale, Noah Richardson, Avery Trotter and Thea Bailey.
Unfortunately, Covid had one last nasty trick up its sleeve as a number of staff – including four fifths of the Drama department – had to go into isolation after only two performances. Nevertheless, those who saw it enjoyed the experience and everyone else watched the recording which had, thankfully, been made of the dress rehearsal and opening night.
It was by no means a ‘typical’ Kingswood Drama year. Instead, it was a testament to the resilience and fortitude of staff and students alike. It was also my last after sixteen years. At least it was one to be remembered and the scholars finally managed to finish their online production in the nick of time, just as the final days of term drew to a close! Thank you everyone for your support, your inspiration and for the very many memories which I will forever cherish.
