Globe Theatre Players Visit As the actors and actresses stormed in, the students’ imaginations were captured, leaving them with an enriching and fulfilling experience. On March 11th, as has become an annual event, the Globe Theatre Players honoured us with two memorable and indeed stimulating performances. The first performance was dedicated to our extremely well behaved and ever enthusiastic Year 7 students who have been studying Shakespeare and his times. They were also able to see a ‘tiny slice of authenticity’ through a selection of scenes of the most important and precious plays of all times. From Macbeth’s tragic but ‘heroic actions’ to Romeo and Juliet’s tragic but spell-binding love story to Richard III, the insane King of England…the list is endless. It was a step back in time; a journey where Year 7 students had a chance to understand why Shakespeare still remains our greatest entertainer and perhaps our most profound thinker, a man who had a remarkable knowledge of human behaviour which he was able to communicate through his portrayal of a wide variety of characters. In contrast, the Year 9 performance was all about their studied text The Tempest; this was also a compelling production which examined the play’s main themes through the enactment of the key scenes. The actors brought to life the setting, the language, the characters and their motivation. A shipwreck awoke the stage and introduced us to Prospero the sometimes evil, sometimes kind Duke, Miranda, his naive and innocent daughter, Ferdinand the young lad who steals Miranda’s heart, then last but definitely not least, the monster, Sycorax’s son Caliban. The production gave the students the opportunity to step back in time, gain knowledge about Shakespeare, his use of language, his theatre, his history, but most of all, about themselves as individuals who love and hate sometimes, just like Shakespeare’s generation did. Ms K Gresz, Teacher of English
BTEC Singing Workshop In the morning, the students worked as one group and sang songs with harmonies from a number of cultures and in different languages. They enjoyed learning about the meaning behind some of these songs, and all the students subsequently performed Si Njay, Njay, Njay, which is a traditional Zulu greeting song, at the recent Showcase. In the afternoon, Soo worked with the students individually to discuss the songs they would be singing for their assessments and how best to improve their vocal interpretation of these songs. The students were extremely grateful for Soo’s help, which made a real difference when they performed in front of an audience during their assessments. “Soo gave me tips on making eye contact with my singing partner and making sure we were supporting each other on stage. It made the audience focus on us when we were performing and made our song energetic and vibrant.” On 12th March the Year 10 Performing Arts students attended a singing workshop run by Soo Bishop from Merton Music Foundation. The workshop was designed to help the students improve their vocal ability and improve their performances ready for their assessments.
Tavisen Chetty, Year 10. Mr R Elkington, Teacher in Charge of Music and Performing Arts
www.harrismerton.org.uk
PAGE 11