The show must go on

First performed during London’s Great Plague, Epicene was a fitting choice during a pandemic

The show must

GO ON

How do you create a showstopping performance of a 17th century play during a pandemic? Perth’s Glenalmond College’s whole school community rose to this theatrical – and logistical – challenge

Glenalmond was one of very few schools in the UK to stage a play in the midst of 2020/21 restrictions and allow pupils to experience fully a performance while adhering to Covid-safe measures. The show – which was not be seen by a live audience – was Epicene, the 1609

Renaissance comedy by Ben Jonson, which caught the eye of Glenalmond’s Director of Theatre, Liz Moss. The play was originally performed after a long period when London theatres were closed due to the plague, so the timing of its

Glenalmond revival chimes keenly with the present day.

Getting the show on the road

Online auditions for the play started during remote learning in June 2020,when pupils from all year groups were assessed for the parts via GoogleMeet interviews with Mrs Moss, from Scotland to Italy to Thailand.

The pupils’ enthusiasm to take part in a play when they returned to school after the summer spurred Mrs Moss’s determination to make it work, and so during the summer holidays she began the meticulous task of adapting the play to ensure it could be performed to meet Covid-safety requirements. She also wanted to adapt the play to make sure the production was pacey and fun and absolutely relevant.

Across the centuries

The drama department created a surreal world, blending a Renaissance aesthetic with a 1980s New Romantic look and sound. Both genres, though centuries apart, explored androgyny, so it seems to work! The electropop music and graphic neon make-up put a fun spin on the Jacobean text. Behind the scenes, a period-accurate London street set was created, with staff ensuring that no detail was spared and everything looked meticulous. The pupils have really embraced this aspect of the play and it has generated considerable discussion and input from them. The cast contributing their own ideas made the whole process of adapting the play very collaborative, exciting and enjoyable. The script, acting and backstage ways of working were adapted to meet social-distancing constraints such as limits on the number of performers on the stage at any one time and to ensure our Covid-safe year-group bubbles were kept physically distanced at all times.

There were a great many factors to consider to ensure that

ALL ABOUT EPICENE

A comedy written in 1609 by Renaissance playwright Ben Jonson, the play is about a man named Dauphine who schemes to secure his inheritance from his uncle Morose. His plan involves setting up Morose to marry Epicene a boy disguised as a woman. It was originally performed by the Blackfriars Children or Children of the Queen’s Revels, a group of boy players.

THIS PRODUCTION OF EPICENE had girls and boys playing both male and female roles, CHALLENGING THE AUDIENCE TO THINK ABOUT GENDER AND SOCIETY

Artist-in-Resident, Christopher Moss worked around the clock to deliver the awe-inspiring stage design

Many pupils got involved in all aspects of the drama production, from set design to costumes and performance the show was fully compliant. ey even inverted the classic Commedia half-mask, to create face coverings for the actors to use during the performance. One key aspect of the play was the way it embraced the subject of gender performance. is production of Epicene had girls and boys playing both male and female roles, challenging the audience to think about gender and how society expects men and women to behave. Glenalmond’s Artist-in-Residence, Christopher Moss, produced a stunning set – working evenings and weekends to complete it. e attention to detail in the set design was exceptional – the drama department was determined that pupils wouldn’t miss out on any aspect of the play experience.

Music, make-up and sets

As a result, the play had the most amazing set, which has given all the pupils involved a huge li , along with the costumes and props our sta and pupils have been working hard on, and the make-up looks created by our art department. e play, which really is a whole-school e ort, features adaptations of 80s music, produced by the school’s Director of Music Tim Ridley, and recorded by school musicians, both sta and students. Glenalmond College is in a unique position to be able to do something like this, with its own theatre, sta living on site and a very tight-knit community of people willing to go the extra mile. e arts have a hugely important role to play in connecting people and helping them cope with whatever life throws at them, and school sta were thrilled to have been able to give the pupils a stage experience they’ll never forget during this incredibly challenging time for everyone. Press coverage included a piece in e Times, before an online premiere for pupils, families and others took place.

Commedia half masks acted as Covid-appropriate face coverings

Glenalmond College was able to put on the performance of Epicene in its own theatre