5 minute read
Drama and Dance
Senior School
We have been very privileged to open not one but two excellent performance spaces this year. In October, alongside the new drama teaching studios, we opened the Martin Preston Studio, named after an ex-teacher who sadly died in 2019. Preston was head of Religious Studies, produced inspiring theatrical productions, and had a prodigious knowledge of opera and theatre, with which he enthused others.
It was his ‘coming out’ and his work post-St Dunstan’s supporting LGBT+ rights that really left a legacy. To honour his memory the studio was opened with a production devised from the text of ‘The Laramie Project’, a verbatim play exploring a town’s reaction to the brutal murder of a young gay man, Matthew Shepherd. Students engaged in an intensive creative process led by Director of Drama, Mr Stewart. Combining live music, abstract movement and the original text, the invited audience was treated to an engaging and challenging piece of theatre that was also livestreamed. Notable mention must be made of Tom Sheen who acted as musical director and helped create the soundscape which underscored the whole production. The newly fitted studio provided an excellent space for this in-the-round production and all who saw it were moved by its message of acceptance and tolerance. The final image of the production was a large canvas, designed and painted by Year 12 artist Tapasya Tiwari which was lowered from the ceiling and depicted the face of Matthew Shepherd scarred by the words of hate and discrimination that ultimately led to his death. In the Lent term the new 150-seat theatre was opened with another production devised from a text, this time directed by two Year 13 students, Zoe Holness and Paddy Byfield, using the text, Machinal. The production explored the mistreatment of women both in employment and domestically. The production combined highly polished choral movement with audiovisual recordings, sound and light, and again live music under the direction of Tom Sheen. Technicians from Drama and Art combined to create an industrial scaffold set which acted both as screens and shadow boxes, highlighting and commenting on the action of the piece. We were thrilled to be able to invite those who have so generously supported the development of the Theatre to share this moving and visceral piece of theatre.
School of Rock
‘There’s no way you can stop The School of Rock’ was the anthemic sound that rang out in the Great Hall at the end of the Lent term as more than 50 students filled the stage to perform Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical version of the hit film ‘School of Rock’. The energetic cast was ably led by Martha Preece in the lead role of wannabe rock star Dewey Finn. Pretending to be a substitute teacher he takes on a role at prestigious prep school, Horace Green, overseen by uptight headmistress Rosalie Mullins, who was given fine voice by Agnes Sales. Dewey discards the formal education expected at the school for a more liberal one – so liberal it only really included forming a rock band. Thomas Lenz, Louis Wetherell, Coco Kitson, and Sidney Fisher made up Dewey’s core band, each playing their role with flair and a great sense of character. Safia Rieb Smith took charge of the students and the stage as bossy Summer Hathaway whilst Albert Watson flounced around as self-proclaimed designer Billy. The sheer energy and enthusiasm of the cast spilled off the stage and into the equally enthusiastic audiences who filled the Great Hall in a way that hadn’t been possible since the start of the pandemic.
Edward
For the first time at St Dunstan’s students performed in a entirely dance driven production. Edward was a dance reinterpretation of the movie Edward Scissorhands which follows the story of a young man who has scissors instead of fingers. Choreographed by Champions Theatre Arts who worked with students during Forder in the Michaelmas term, the production saw over 20 Key Stage 3 students learn to dance and move in order to communicate a narrative entirely with their bodies. Isobel Reynolds was mesmerising at the titular Edward and led the whole ensemble with grace and precision. A visual treat for the audience, this marked the start of a new partnership to expand the range of dance and movement options available to students and we look forward to future collaborations.
Technical Theatre
This academic year has seen the exciting development of multiple performing arts spaces in redeployed areas of the College. The opening of the three drama studios, including the Martin Preston Studio, gives students excellent spaces for lessons, rehearsals and small-scale performances. The opening of the Theatre offers an even more exciting and flexible space for larger performances and workshops. This new performance venue will seat 150 for end on performances and the seating can be retracted to allow for theatre in the round or traverse. All the new spaces are linked so that they can be used to support each other and form a coherent performing arts centre complete with backstage storage and technical facilities. We are still fundraising to allow us to put a range of lighting into the theatre and are incredibly grateful for the generosity of those who have already donated so much to allow us to generate these exciting new spaces for students to explore the performing arts. Our technical theatre clubs have continued to flourish with most performances now supported by student technicians, allowing those who are engaged with the arts, but are not performers, an opportunity to develop their skills.
