A Tender Heart

Jane Whitehouse remembers a particular performance

“The key event that stands out for me, since I have been at BSB, is ‘A Tender Heart’, the 2014 play based on Edith Cavell’s life story. The Principal at the time had asked me to create something especially for BSB for the Commemoration of the start of WW1. I wrote it with an emphasis on tri-lingual moments in the script and a non-partisan retelling of events to embrace our global community.

It was also significant in that it formed part of the Gemeente’s wider commemorative events, as both Christi-Ann, Head of Music, and myself had met with their representative from the outset. The evenings’ performances offered an immersive experience for the audience with the cross-curricular striking ‘history and personal stories’ display and songs from WW1. Representatives of the Belgian Edith Cavell Commemoration Group attended, as did Jacques Solvay’s grandmother whose own childhood nannies knew Cavell. A year later in 2015, BSB named one of its buildings used exclusively for parents Cavell House.