16848 BCS The Barnardian 2.23_v
21/09/2015
12:32
Page 7
TRINITY TERM
Big Book Bash Firstly we in teams had to make our own 3D Scene from a passage from Journey to the River Sea; it was great fun and ours looked great. After that we spoke to Dan about his new book ‘The Big Game’.
The Durham Schools’ Big Book Bash is an event which takes place every year by several schools. Each team has a task to read ten books in several weeks before the actual event; this year these books were the following: Artemis Fowl, Back to Blackbrick, Frost Hollow Hall, The Witches, Murder Most Unladylike, Mr Stink, Journey to The River Sea, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, My Friend The Enemy and The Rooftoppers. Once our two teams had arrived there we were greeted by author and guest for the day Dan Smith. Firstly he spoke to us about his childhood and about being an author. Then we split into groups to do some great activities.
After lunch we started our final activity which was to match up all the names of characters to the name of their book and author. That was my favourite activity of the day.
He also let us shoot down some papercups with a nerf gun. My other favourite part of the ‘Big Book Bash’ was doing my presentation with my group and watching others perform as well. On the whole it was an amazing day! Ellie Tweddle, Year 7, Marwood House
In our final activity of the day we made a presentation in school and we showed them to the other schools. Wolsingham School won and BCS Team 1 finished third with team 2 in fifth. Overall it was a huge success. Jonathan McNickle, Year 7, North’ House
I enjoyed talking to the author Dan Smith he was really funny and very kind. He told us a little about his new book ‘The Big Game’ and let us watch the trailer for it as well; it looked very exciting.
Junior Play – What’s New Pussycat? They say you should never work with children and animals but the cast of 'What's New Pussycat?’ this year's Junior Play, included 27 children, a cat and a camel and proved the advice entirely wrong. The cast was a pleasure to rehearse with, their enthusiasm knew no bounds and the audience were caught up in the fun and clapped along to songs ranging from the sixties to the eighties. In the title role as the pussycat, Esia Forsyth delivered a performance worthy of a professional production and her skill was matched by that of her male counterpart, Joe Johnson, who played the role of Harry with perfect comic timing. Both delighted the audience with their solo and duet singing performances as well. The three old ladies of the cast were played by Evie Brenkley, EmeliaRose Rowlandson and Georgina Walton and all three delivered comic lines with absolute precision once they had mastered the art of holding back their own giggles! No summer pantomime would be complete without a witch and a troll played respectively by Amy Richardson and Ella Bowen. Both were completely convincing in their roles with voices that took a great deal of practice to perfect. The villagers (Carys Grey-Thompson, Jasmine Richards, Hannah Booth, Amelia Oates and Katie Baxter) and their bosses Simon (Matthew Forster)
and Tom (Ben Powell) were a perfect contrast to one another, with Ben playing the wicked brother and Matthew the slightly dim but kind foil for him. The royal family and servants were played loudly and regally by Bagi Ali as the King, Georgina Rhodes as the Queen and Josie Powell as the demure princess who tugged on the heartstrings of a love-sick Joe Johnson and confided her own fears in her maids, Kiah Baxter and Jemimah Osborne. Chloe Hanmer was a suitably frustrated doctor caring for the demanding King and Ruby Hargrove her ever-patient nurse. The various pages and footmen were played by Emily Kelly, Lauren Wilson, James Newell and Niamh Robinson, who stepped in at the last moment to play a second role and cover for illness. We were very grateful for her courage! Last but most definitely not least was the camel who amused and delighted young and old with his sure-footed, if slightly bizarre, dance. Verity Walker and James Newell had fun practising not falling down the steps in rehearsal, and made the most of their frequent cameo appearances. None of us wanted to part with him after the play! As always the cast was well-supported by the excellent Tech Team and the Maintenance Department who stayed patient in the face of every request! Thank you to them all. AMG
T he Barnardian 2014 / 15 Re v iew
87