HALE JOURNAL
Autumn 2024 Edition
Women in HALE
Compiled by this year’s HALE Reps - Ella Heyhoe, Amelia Olivari and Isabel Reed.
ACROSS ERAS: THREEWOMEN WHO SHAPED LITERARYHISTORY
By Amelia Olivari
ENHEDUANNA-THEWORLD’SFIRST NAMEDAUTHOR:
It is believed that she lived from 2285-2250 BC as a Mesopotamian priestess and was the daughter of Sargon of Akkad, the king who brought Akkadian and Sumerian people under one rule. She was unknown until Sir Leonard Wooley excavated objects with her name on them in 1927. So far, 42 temple hymns and 3 poems have been discovered. Each hymn was written for a different temple in Southern Mesopotamia, but they all focused on the patron goddess to the worshippers. Enheduannna is an inspiring example of ancient feminism, and her poems can be read in Sophus Helle’s English translation in ‘Enheduana: The Complete Poems of The World’s First Author’.
MURASKI SHIKBU - THE WORLD’S FIRST NOVELLIST:
Although there is lots of debate about the world’s first novel, ‘The Tale of Genji’ stands out as a classic piece of ancient Japanese literature. Believed to be published in 1020 AD, the story follows the life of Prince Genji in the Heian era of Japan. It describes the character development of the Prince throughout his life, while also providing insight into the beautiful culture of the Heian aristocracy. Muraski Shikbu was a lady-in-waiting to Empress Shōshi in the imperial court, so was writing about a world she could see firsthand. She defied the norms for women by receiving a classical education in Chinese and going on to write her own novel.
Outsold only by the Bible and William Shakespeare, Agatha Christie has sold over 2 billion copies of her books, which include 66 detective novels and 14 short-story collections. A writer during the ‘Golden Age of Detective Fiction’, she has been nicknamed the ‘Queen of Crime’. In 1971, Queen Elizabeth II made her a Dame for her contributions to literature. Agatha Christie also holds the record for the world’s longest-running play ‘The Mousetrap’, which begun in 1952 and is still running at London’s St Martin’s Theatre today. Her most well-known book is ‘And Then There Were None’, published in 1939, which describes ten strangers invited to an island. As the characters reveal their secrets, a series of deaths occur in the pattern of a nursery rhyme.
THELINGUISTIC THELINGUISTIC PORTRAYALO PORTRAYALO
How we speak about women in society shapes our perception of women’s identity as a whole. Throughout the ages, we have discussed women in both derogatory and respectful terms. The etymology of the word “woman” itself is interesting - “wifman”. Although it may seem to imply a woman is no more than a man’s wife, the word “man” was then used to generally refer to a human. So a “wifman” was simply a “womanhuman”.
However, it can be seen from other parts of our language that women are not always viewed as men’s equals. The grammatical distinction between an “actor” and an “actress”, or a “singer” and a “songstress”, was possibly invented to mock, or marvel at, certain types of working women. Nowadays women have claimed the default male version of these words, and they have become a gender neutral alternative.
We should also consider the implication of us, historically, solely referring to women by “Mrs” or “Miss”, and men more generally by “Mr”. As we always force women to reveal their marital status, it could be argued that society has, in the past, only valued women for their ability to wed men.
LEH celebrating Languages Week this September: the theme being Languages for Peace
The stereotypes which keep women in their places are seen even in the way we describe young children. Any girl that does not conform to traditional expectations of being demure, silent and still is typically labelled a “tomboy”; implying that behaviours such as playing outdoors, or being boisterous, are reserved for boys.
And yet sexism towards women can also be seen in our descriptions of older women. The turn of phrase to “let oneself go” as one ages implies women are no more nor less than their youthful appearance, and the only way to hold true to yourself is to keep up with fashion and meet society’s beauty standards of the day.
How to say “woman” in various foreign languages!
Language Woman Regions
Spanish mujer
Spain,North/SouthAmerica,Caribbeanetc
German Frau Germany,Austria,Switzerland
French femme
Mandarin ⼥
Hindi म हला
France,Belgium,WestAfrica,Caribbean,etc
China,Taiwan,Singapore
India,Nepal,Uganda,Suriname
Welsh menyw Wales
Italian donna
Italy,Switzerland
by Ella Heyhoe
The book “Mother Tongue” by Dr Jenni Nuttall is a fascinating read on this topic.
HOWDIDQUEENELIZABETHIUSEPORTRAITUREAS
This painting is of Elizabeth I of England and was painted in 1588 to celebrate the English success against the Spanish Armada. The Spanish Armada, which was made up of 150 ships, was sent by King Philip II of Spain to conquer England and overthrow Elizabeth to replace her with a Catholic. The artist uses lots of symbolism throughout the portrait to allude to Elizabeth’s strength and power as the Queen of England. Queen Elizabeth needed to show her power and strength as being a single protestant woman on the throne she was vulnerable to plots if her subjects saw her as weak. However, regardless of the Armada and plots to overthrow her she had a successful reign lasting 44 years proving she was a truly powerful woman.
Throughout her life Queen Elizabeth never married or had children. People often tried to use this against her and gave her the nickname the Virgin Queen. However, Queen Elizabeth owned this nickname to the extent that the first American colony in 1884 was named Virginia after her. She often wore white pearls and bows in her portraits as symbols of her virginity and purity to remind her subjects even though she was the Virgin Queen, she was no less powerful.
TheArmadaPortrait(shownabove)isanexampleofQueenElizabeth usingpropagandatocuratethisallpowerfulimageofher.Sheuses symbolsthroughoutthepaintingtoshowherstrengthandpower.An exampleofanimageisthesirenstatuetteintheforegroundwhichisa figureheadthatwouldgoonthefrontofaship.Thisalludestothe EnglishNavy’smaritimeprowessunderElizabethagainsttheSpanish Armada.ThissymbolalsodrawsparallelsbetweenElizabethandthe sirenswhowerepowerfulmythologicalwomenwhowouldluremen totheirdeathsjustasQueenElizabeth’sfleetcausedthedeathof manySpanishsailors.AnothermythologicalcreaturethatElizabethis likenedto,isCynthia,theRomanGoddessofthemoon,throughher wearingpearlswhichwereoneofthesymbolsoftheGoddess. Cynthiawasoftenpraisedforherpurityandvirginitywhichwasseen asoneofherstrengths.BycomparingherselftoCynthia,Queen Elizabethhopedtoenforcethissamepositiveviewonhervirginity. Furthersymbolismincludesthepillarsinthebackground,whichare symbolicofstabilityandstrengthandaremeanttobeametaphorfor QueenElizabeth’sreign.
“IknowIhavethebodybutofaweakandfeeblewoman,butI havetheheartandstomachofaking,andofakingofEngland too.”–QueenElizabethinaspeechtohertroopsbeforethe SpanishArmada.
WOMEN ON STAGE
CHANGING THE WORLD FOR THEATRE
By Nina Gill
The working world has been a challenging environment for women and girls for hundreds of years and even now we are still fighting against the gender wage gap, equity and equality. One of the most hostile environments for women was the British stage.
A performance of ‘Macbeth’ at the Globe Theatre
The first woman to appear on the professional stage in England is generally considered to be Margaret Hughes (1645 –1719), who performed in a production of Othello at the Vere Street Theatre, London in 1660. However, there were several actresses before Margaret, but unfortunately they were not credited or recognised. Hughes played Desmedona, and her celebrity grew further as time progressed. She revolutionised female acting on stage forever.
Margaret Hughes
FEMALE INVENTORS
By Anika Westphely
Below are some case studies explaining vital inventions created by women which have a lasting impact on society today.
Marie Van Brittan Brown, a black woman from Queens, New York recognized the need for a security system in her neighbourhood during the 1960s. She was uncontented with how long it took the local police to respond so she invented the first never home security system. It had peepholes, a camera, monitors and a two-way microphone. The camera could slide up and down so the resident could see someone through one of the peepholes and then, once the visitor had been identified, they could communicate with them or remotely unlock the door!
There is no doubt that chocolate chip cookies are one of the most treasured inventions, but who actually made them? Ruth Wakefield was baking a batch of cookies for her guests at the Toll House Inn. The recipe needed melted chocolate but Wakefield had ran out of baking chocolate. She took a chocolate bar and crumpled it up into pieces to add to her batter, expecting the pieces the melt during baking and create a chocolate cookie. However, the chocolate pieces held their shape, creating the first ever Chocolate Chip Cookie. Nestle noticed the chocolate chip cookies had a fast-growing reputation among travellers and gave Wakefield free chocolate for life in exchange for putting the recipe on the back of their packaging.
THEGENDERPAYGAP
By Harriet Dexter
Earlier this year, I went to see 2023 Nobel Prize laureate Claudia Goldin talk. She stated that the unequal division of caregiving and household responsibilities plays a key role in the gender pay gap. This led me to consider what policies the government could implement to increase female participation in the paid economy…
Human capital theory attributes income differences between the genders to variations in education, experience and commitment to the labour force, but this isn't always supported by the statistics. In 2022, the government reported that females accounted for 56% of further education students across the UK. Similarly, it seems inaccurate to suggest women’s lack of experience leads to lower salaries, as according to the Office for National Statistics, the median pay gap in the UK is only 2% among workers in their 30s, yet jumps to 14% in their 40s (see Source 1). Instead, it’s women’s perceived ‘commitment to the labour force’, or more specifically mothers’, that creates disparity and reduces female participation in the paid economy. Economists have named this the ‘motherhood penalty’, and it's suggested to make up 80% of the gender pay gap. It seems to follow, therefore, that the government must act to remove this unjust “penalty”. I would suggest a twopronged approach. The first: enacting policies that allow mothers to share a more equal division of caregiving and household responsibilities, meaning they have a greater capacity to devote time to their careers. The second: account.
Source 1: ‘the motherhood penalty’: How motherhood hurts careers | The Economist
REPORTING:
A policy that may facilitate change in this area is the mandatory reporting of post-pregnancy returning figures. In the UK, current legislation around reporting requires any employer with 250 or more employees to report their gender pay gap data annually. The policy aims to hold individual employers publicly accountable for their gender pay gaps, compelling them to justify these discrepancies and often take proactive measures to reduce them. Research suggests that employers in the UK with over 250 employees (who legally have to declare their pay gaps) have a 1.6 percentage point higher women’s hourly wage relative to those of men than those employers with under 250. Thus it is reasonable to suggest that public reporting facilitates change and incentivises organisations to act. A similar requirement could be introduced regarding the retention of mothers (post maternity leave) and career progression in the post-childbearing years.
Requisite reporting creates a reputational motive for companies and allows them to be held to account. On top of that is the motive of gender lens equity funds (GLEFs), growing in significance as investors are increasingly shown to allocate capital toward companies whose policies benefit women, a practice that is only limited currently by the paucity of data. Undoubtedly, transparency can help overcome pay inequalities by incentivising firms to alter policies and combat prejudice towards mothers about perceived commitment levels.
However, there is a large problem of inaccuracy of reporting in the UK. This is in principle an issue of enforcement. This could be rectified by taking inspiration from countries like Sweden in which compliance with reporting requirements is overseen by the Board against Discrimination and the Equality Ombudsman (DO) of Sweden. By having a figure like an Ombudsman who could inspect companies' mandatory pay surveys, carry out in-depth audits and ask for changes, the government could guarantee improved compliance with regulation, thus facilitating greater change.
UNPAID LABOUR:
It is doubtless that Claudia Goldin is correct in her assertion that women undertake an unequal division of caregiving and household responsibilities. The Global Gender Gap Report found that men spent just a third of the time women spend doing unpaid work, whether this be domestic, caregiving or even school fundraising or community work. Women, as a result, are constantly time-poor which constrains their participation in the labour market. The fundamental change that needs to occur is one of attitude: the value of unpaid care and domestic work has been estimated at roughly 9% of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP) and thus women could arguably said to be spending 55% of their working time, as opposed to men’s 19%, contributing hugely to the economy without receiving an income. I would propose two different ways of approaching this problem: through the lens of balance, where the government enforces industry legislation that reduces the gap between men’s and women’s unpaid labour time (i.e. equal paternity and maternity leave). The other is the more radical approach of creating a mechanism to pay women for their unpaid labour, reframing their contributions to the economy as acts of national service.
The Nordic model of shared leave shows much promise. In Sweden, we see that women do less of the unpaid labour. Their “daddy quota” means that now 9 out of 10 Swedish fathers take paternity leave. We can see the positives this policy has on female participation in the economy, as a study in Sweden found that for every month of paternity leave taken by a father, a mother’s wages rise by 7%. Policies like these in Sweden aim to undo the prevailing conception of the mother as the primary caregiver, which is often at a detriment to her career.
From the other angle, it could be proposed that the government should be investigating policies that essentially reward women for their unpaid contributions to the economy. The act of raising the next generation can be reframed as an act of national service, beneficial to the country in the long term. Thus it can be seen that when a woman leaves the corporate environment to have a child, she is merely moving from one form of work to another. Through increasing subsidies for new mothers, the government creates a greater ability for mothers to re-enter the labour market. This essentially creates two jobs, the mother’s job and the carer she can later afford to employ, which creates more taxable income.
In conclusion, the government must enact policies that provide mothers with the means of more equally sharing domestic responsibilities to reduce their overall time devoted to unpaid labour. Simultaneously, policy should hold employers accountable for their retention rates to augment female participation in the economy.
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
by Izzy Blanshard
WHAT IS IT?
Black HistoryMonth is an annual celebration. It takes place in Februaryfor Canada, the US and the Caribbean and October for Europe. It focuses on bringing attention to the contributions of and spreading awareness about forgotten or ignored Black Americans and other peoples of African and Asian descent.
WHEN DID IT START?
Black HistoryMonth was started bythe newlyfounded Association for the Studyof Black Life and History(ASNLH). The group was (and is) dedicated to researching and promoting achievements of Black Americans and other peoples of African descent. In order to spread awareness, in 1926, ASNLH sponsored a national Black Historyweek . Theychoose the second of February, coinciding with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. In 1976, on the fiftieth anniversary ASNLH made the shift to Black HistoryMonth.
HOW IS IT CELEBRATED?
In the UK, there is a wide range of events: food festivals where there is food from all over the world, as well as art trails and dance performances; educational workshops and lectures where you can learn about different cultures traditions and tales, take part in culture-inspired theatrical performances and make traditional objects like masks; music workshops where you can explore the music of the Windrush generation, tribal music and learn about famous black singers and rappers.
BLACK HISTORY MONTH AT LEH
by Mustabshera Farheen
The LEH community embraces Black History Month as a time to celebrate its diversity and recognises it as a time to educate everyone about the rich cultural heritage at our school. This year we celebrated Black History Month with a range of activities all over the school, including a Thirds treasure hunt, a film showing of ‘Soul’ and jewellery making. Pupils from all year groups actively took part in the various activities in place, with the feedback being highly positive!
LEH’s celebration of Black History Month was truly a collaborative effort where pupils from the L6 presented a thought-provoking assembly about influential Black women and educated everyone about the importance of Black History Month and its ongoing impact on the LEH community. Lessons regarding powerful Black women are also integrated into the curriculum, where pupils study texts from women such as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie who is a well-known Nigerian writer and activist. She talks passionately about her origins and how she got started on her journey to becoming a writer. One of her most popular texts, which is also studied by LEH GCSE pupils, is called ‘The Danger of a Single Story’ which is taken from part of her 2009 Ted Talk and talks about how one perspective on any subject can have harmful implications for the community whose story is left untold. She explores how negative stereotypes are when they stem from a lack of understanding and how these personally affected her when she first moved from Africa to America to study at university.
Not only does LEH recognise Black women outside its community, but it also celebrates Black women within its own community. One of the LEH alumnae, Sheyi Martin-Allens (Class of 2006) returns to LEH frequently to talk to L5 pupils in Life Advice lessons about the racism she has experienced in her life. She encourages us to educate ourselves, and guides us on how we can take part in addressing it, ensuring that we know enough to make sure our Black peers do not have to deal with challenges on their own. She integrates examples of micro-aggressions into her lessons as well to address actions which people may not recognise as racism. She discusses how writing music gives her a voice and the chance to express herself which pupils at LEH are wholeheartedly encouraged to do, not only through music but through any extracurricular that we enjoy. It is through the experiences of its alumni and diverse community that LEH propels itself into equality and recognising the profound impact of Black excellence within its doors.
QUEEN ELIZABETH II FACT FILE
By Beatrice Invine and Iyla Culley
Name: Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor
Nickname: Lillibet
Date of birth: 21 April 1926. (2.40 am)
Date of death: 8 September 2022. Her supposed last words were "All my possessions for one moment in time."
Birthdays: 21 April and 2nd Saturday in June when the weather is better. This tradition dates back to King George II (1683-1760), whose actual birthday was in November. As the weather wasn't reliable enough for large public celebrations of his birthday, his official birthday was moved to coincide with the Trooping of the Colour in summer!
Official title during her reign: Elizabeth II, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of her other realms and territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith.
Parents: Duke and Duchess of York, who later became King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother).
School: Elizabeth and her sister Margaret were both homeschooled with courses including French, mathematics, history, art, dance, and singing lessons.
Marriage: On November 20, 1947, Elizabeth married the son of Prince Andrew of Greece, Philip Mountbatten.
Later to become Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
Children: The Queen had four children, Charles (now King Charles III), Anne, Andrew and Edward.
Date of accession: Queen Elizabeth II became Britain's ruling monarch after the death of her father, King George VI, on February 6, 1952.
Coronation: June 2, 1953 The coronation was held in Westminster Abbey and was the first to be broadcast on television.
Countries of rule: The Queen was Head of the Commonwealth, a group of 54 independent countries who were once ruled by Great Britain but have since gained their independence. She was also Queen of 15 Commonwealth realms in addition to the UK. Australia, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, St Chirstopher and Nevis, St Lucia and Tuvalu.
Countries visited: Queen Elizabeth Il visited 116 countries. She was probably the most widely-travelled head of state in history. Length of reign: By 2022 Elizabeth Il had reigned for 70 years - She was the longest reigning monarch in the world.
Favourite animals: Dogs (corgis. She owned 30 in her reign. They're all descendants of the first corgi she owned at the age of 18 - she even created a new beard of dog when one of her corgis mated with a dachshund belonging to her sister Margret. It was called a dorgi!) and horses.
Favourite football team: Arsenal. Languages: She spoke fluent French. Driving license: None - she was the only person in the UK who could drive without a licence!
First radio broadcast: As Princess Elizabeth, Elizabeth Il made her first public speech on 13 October 1940, with a radio address to the children of the Commonwealth, many of them living away from home due to war. First email: Elizabeth II sent her first e-mail on March 26 1976 from the Royal Signals and Radar Establishment (RSRE) in Malvern as a part of a demonstration of networking technology. First tweet: Elizabeth II shared her first-ever tweet back in 2014 when celebrating a new exhibition at London's Science Museum. Her post read. "It is a pleasure to open the Information Age exhibition today at the @ScienceMuseum and I hope people will enjoy visiting."
Fun Facts!
The Queen kept a number of specific items within her bag which were vital to her daily duties. Like many others, the Queen apparently carried lipstick, reading glasses, mints, a compact mirror and pen as essential items. Apart from the odd trinket and a spare £5 and £10 note for church on a Sunday, her extra belongings were carried by her ladies in waiting. The Queen's collection of 200 Launer bags were all used to convey a series of secret messages to staff. According to Royal historian Hugo Vickers, the Queen placed her bag on the table during dinner in order to signal the event should be wrapped up within the next five minutes.
If the Queen moved her handbag from its normal spot on her left arm to her right arm while she's talking with someone, her handlers know that she wants to end the conversation. If the Queen placed her bag on the floor, this meant she wants a conversation wrapped up immediately, with intervention from her lady in waiting.
She was served by 15 UK prime ministers Queen. Her birthplace is now a fancy Cantonese restaurant! She became a homeowner at just six years old!
In her lifetime she sent around 50,000 Christmas cards! She owned an elephant, two tigers, a jaguar, and a pair of sloths. They now all live in London Zoo. She had many hobbies, such as horse riding, (which she did into her 90's), pidgeon racing, football, and walking in the countryside. Her favourite meal was a smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwich with the crusts cut off. Her favourite song was 'Praise my soul, the king of heaven. Her favourite colour was blue.
AN INTERVIEW WITH MRS COLE:
Why do you think HALE subjects are important?
They give a huge insight into what it means to be a human and why things are as they are culturally. They also help you wrestle with different perspectives and are a form of escapism. Art and performing arts give so much joy emotional content to HALE domain.
What is your favourite language?
Mrs Cole doesn’t speak any other languages but she studied French at GCSEs. She regrets not trying to continue with it but still speaks a little bit now.
What do you enjoy reading?
Mrs Cole loves lots of novels from lots of different writers. Some of her favourites are ‘Yellowface’, ‘The List’, ‘Tomorrow, Tomorrow and Tomorrow’ and novels by Jane Austen. Compelling stories are difficult in term time so she prefers factual, educational books such as ‘The Anxious Generation’.
What is your favourite overseas destination and why?
She likes to visit South African countries, such as Namibia, Botswana Zambia. There are lots of sand dunes, oceans and thousands of acres of protected wildlife. She loves to flip out tents and go camping in the wilderness.
Where would you go overseas that you haven’t been already?
Mrs Cole would like to go to South America as she hasn’t been there, including Peru, Patagonia and Columbia. She is interested in the geographical diversity because that part of South America covers different climate and architectural styles. What is your favourite memory from school when you were in school? She loved DoE expeditions, especially camping with friends and she also really enjoyed helping younger students in a leadership program.
HISTORY TRIP TO BERLIN 2024
By Amelie McGowan
From October 19-22, GCSE History students visited Berlin in order to enrich our knowledge of 20th century Germany, specifically around the Cold War, the Weimar Republic and the Third Reich.
On the first day, we were joined by our brilliant guide Ian for a walking tour of landmarks like the Brandenburg Gate and Reichstag, observing their evolution under different regimes. We also visited Holocaust memorials for groups such as the Jews, LGBTQ+ community, and Sinti-Roma, with the SintiRoma Memorial offering a poignant insight into the persecution of a group of Holocaust victims who are often overlooked. The next day, at Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, we saw firsthand the harsh living conditions prisoners faced and learnt about their terrible treatment by the SS. The visit reinforced the importance of bearing witness to the atrocities of our past and learning from them, a sentiment that feels ever more relevant in recent times with a 200% increase in anti-Semitic hate crimes across the past year. Later, we marvelled at the vastness of the 1936 Olympic Stadium and visited the Führer Bunker, the site of Hitler’s suicide, which was unmarked and resembled a simple car park. This choice reflects modern Germany’s approach to confronting its past: by denying Hitler the power and glory he sought, even in death, they prioritise the remembrance of Holocaust victims over that of the man who caused their suffering.
Continuing our exploration of Berlin's history, on Monday we explored museums with exhibitions on the Stasi and daily life in the German Democratic Republic, learning about the police state and their methods of control, including hiding secret cameras in bizarre places like watering cans to monitor citizens. It was fascinating to learn about the life of ordinary citizens in the DDR, where the one-party rule and pervasive propaganda mirrored the oppressive atmosphere of Nazi Germany. Tuesday saw a visit to the Berlin Wall at the East Side Gallery and Checkpoint Charlie, learning about attempted escapes- for example, the crazy story of the old lady who was successfully lowered out of her fourth-floor window by her flatmates into West Berlin. There was also free time to explore the city and try some traditional German food like currywurst (unfortunately not a fan favourite). The last stop of the trip (the Berlin Mall) presented a particular highlight, especially the huge Bershka!
Overall, the trip was a compelling insight into the periods we study, deepening our understanding of past events and making them come to life. I would definitely recommend this to any GCSE History student!
A JOURNEY THROUGH THE THEATRES:
Returning from 2 months of absolute freedom and sunshine in September is always a challenge. The seven o'clock in the morning alarms that we always snooze, the warmth of our bed that we have to leave, the stress of catching the coach. Luckily, the LEH school year prepares us for this as they bring us back into the routine and structure of school steadily and progressively. This is the case for all - except for us drama A level students. We are instead plunged head-first into seats at theatres. We went on 5 theatre trips within 7 weeks and observed, analysed and reviewed all of them and we definitely wouldn’t want it any other way.
While access to online streaming of these plays is easy, convenient viewing, it doesn’t even compare to the live performances. From a technical aspect, the interplay of lighting, sound and stage that is intricately planned creates a unique, visceral atmosphere that cannot be transmitted through a screen. Moreover, theatre is an art form that draws its success from the energy of the audience.
Whether it’s shock, repulsion, joy, sadness, fear or hope, the production is supported by the intensity of the audience’s collective emotion. An audience is quite frankly a surreal concept as it’s filled with strangers from anywhere and everywhere, united for 2 to 3 hours as a community to react and watch the same production. This illustrates the power of theatre that we have touched on in the A level course. This is one example where the immersive nature of these trips that we have been privileged to experience allows us as students to broaden our mindset.
‘Our Country is Good’ was one of the plays we saw at the Lyric Hammersmith. From the opening scene which presented the darkest depths of humanity it was a thought-provoking production that challenges morality in the face of justice. The play is set against the backdrop of Australia's First Fleet, following a group of British convicts transported to a rehabilitation programme in Australia. Through the merging of individual hardships and stories, an abundance of raw emotional stakes was portrayed with strong performances from the ensemble cast with lots of multi-rolling. The blend of comedy and drama is expertly handled, capturing moments that highlight the cruelty of the world in a satirical light. As this is one of our set texts it was so valuable to see this live as we were able to witness how texts come to life. The directorial decisions, the chosen expressions and intonations of an actor or simply the staging that also inspire us in practical work and written work.
We then saw the modern and impactful production, ‘A Tupperware of Ashes’, written by Tanika Gupta, directed by Pooja Gai and performed in the Dorman theatre. It centred around Queenie’s journey with Dementia and how her mental decline affected others around her. In ‘A Tupperware of Ashes’, the theatre company sought to provide an insight of the impact of dementia on different family members and each of their lives in order to demonstrate the inevitable unfairness of the world. However, this is matched with a hopeful tone as the production highlights the beauty of Indian culture and the importance of tradition and rebirth through the play's cyclical structure. Overall, through the interplay of humour with heartbreaking moments and complex family issues, Tankina Gupta and Pooja Gai authentically recreated real life issues within a normal but imperfect family with which the audience could empathise. This was also the first production where we as students really started to develop our analytical skills. Throughout the production we created notes on moments of the production and their effects. Then in classes we discussed what worked well and what did not, which sharpened our ability to analyse performances and apply this critical perspective in all aspects of the course.
‘Oedipus’ at the National Theatre is a stunning reimagining of Sophocles' classic tragedy, blending timeless themes with modern flair and ideas. The production delivers a gripping performance, showcasing the raw intensity and harshness of Oedipus's sudden downfall while highlighting the psychological depth of the characters. This questions the complexities of humanity and maintains some of Sophocles' own intent in this modern production. The minimalist set design, punctuated by striking visual elements, creates a haunting atmosphere that complements the tragic narrative. This production breathes new life into an ancient story which resonates with modern audiences, while never losing the essence of its classical roots as a tragedy.
The latest production we saw was ‘The Other Place’ at the National Theatre which is based on the classical play, 'Antigone'. The play offers a deeply emotional and psychologically intriguing performance, capturing the fragility of the human mind with striking sensitivity that makes humans vulnerable. This gripping psychological drama follows the unravelling of the protagonist, whose life is disrupted and altered by the suicide of her father. The staging resembled a home at first glance given the clutter and furniture. However, it also echoed a certain hostility which contrasted to any familiar, homey feelings the audience would expect and perhaps reflected the chaos and destructive nature of the characters, Annie and Chris, who inevitably ruin everyone’s lives. In addition to creating moments of claustrophobia, this clutter also formed a feeling of isolation on the stage as there was no easy movement between different areas on the set to create the intimacy of a home. This naturally led the audience to immerse fully in Annie's disorienting journey. While the production showed more differences than similarities to the inspiration of ‘Antigone’, there were fundamental themes that remained the same: importance of the gods, the effects of hamartia and the fragility of mortals when exposed to concepts like death. These theatre trips have offered an interactive way to engage with our texts, enrich our understanding of them while simultaneously strengthening our analytical skills, readying us for coursework and exam questions. I would encourage every A -level student to make the most of these trips as they are an unforgettable part of my A-level experience.
CLASSICS AND LATIN TRIP TO ITALY
by Claudia, Kiara, Isabel, and Marie
We began our trip in Sorrento, and on our first day we travelled to the ancient city of Pompeii and walked along the cobbled streets that once lined the ancient city destroyed by Vesuvius. For the Classics students, it was amazing to see so much ancient art and architecture, similar to what we study and analyse in lessons. The frescos especially were amazing to see and so well preserved too. A highlight for all Latinistswas having the privilege of visiting the house of the most esteemed argentarius (banker), Caecilius!
Then very swiftly arrived day three, where we started our day climbing up Mount Vesuvius. We learnt all about the history of its eruptions, and how it affected the bay of Naples, dating as recently as WW2. An incredible sight was the smoke billowing from the crater of Vesuvius, which to many students’ relief was a result of condensation! Later that day we also visited the ancient site, Herculaneum, with its astonishing mosaics and two-storey Roman villas. The ancient customs and cultures that have been preserved so well were mind-blowing to see and learn about.
On our way to Rome, we stopped off at the Naples Archaeological Museum, which holds incredible sculptures and paintings from all eras – we found so many familiar objects that we could finally see in person. The museum itself is a work of art, with incredible painted ceilings and beautiful architecture. A personal highlight for all of us was the pizza making course we took in Sorrento. We got to experience helping in a traditional Italian kitchen and learn to make pizza dough from a brilliant chef. It was really enjoyable and we all loved the beautiful setting and amazing food we made!
And finally - in Rome! The entire city felt lit up and alive as we embarked on our tour of the city’s ancient history. We started in the Colosseum and then went to the forum. From a Classics perspective, it was exciting to see in person several temples in the forum that we had studied in class, as well as works of art in the Capitoline museum that we had also looked at as part of our GCSE course. The Ara Pacis was incredibly beautiful and had painting that left us awestruck as well, and the Pantheon’s clever architecture of the dome was mind blowing!
We wanted to say a huge thank you to Miss Eltis, Mrs Brown, Miss Lewis, Mrs Fairholm and Ms Hollaway for taking us on such an amazing trip, and for ensuring we had a brilliant and enriching time, even through the luggage fiascos!
Drama Trip to War Horse
By Chloe Bloch
On Monday 9 September, Drama students from L5 upwards visited New Wimbledon Theatre to see War Horse, based on the Micheal Morpurgo bestseller. The play followed closely to the plot line of the novel, where Albert (a young boy) and Joey (his beloved horse) are living in the British countryside on a family-owned farm. Albert is separated from Joey at the outbreak of the First World War, as Albert’s father sells the horse to the British cavalry. The production explored themes of friendship and loyalty between humans and animals, especially the importance and power of these bonds through the brutality of war.
During the play, the animals were portrayed with the clever use of puppetry - this included the horses which were controlled by 3 puppeteers: 2 of which were concealed beneath the exterior shell of the puppet, managing the horse’s main body; and 1 directing the horse’s head movements specifically. The use of puppetry truly brought the play to life, and the depth of characterization put into each individual puppet was absolutely remarkable.
It was extremely useful as a GCSE student to see this, especially so close to our devised performance. It allowed us to witness techniques firsthand, letting us fully grasp complex concepts and highlight the importance of tech (lighting, sound and costume) and how we can use it to develop our pieces.
Thank you for taking the time to read the Autumn Term 2024 Edition of the HALE Journal! We have many more exciting things coming up throughout this academic year, starting with our exciting HALE festival! HALE club runs every Monday Lunch 1 in SF3, so come along for all things HALE! If you would like to submit an article for the next edition of the journal, please email halenewspaper@lehs.org.uk.
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