Welcome to MS CAMPBELL’S CLASS
FIFTH PERIOD. Your attendance has been noted, and for your own sake… we hope you’ve found your correct seat on Ms Campbell’s seating plan. Class will begin promptly.
I suppose I ought to tell you what this class is all about, that you’ve signed up for.
For us, Leyla Josephine’s text has been wonderfully open, allowing us the unique opportunity to devise our own moments between her witty, fast paced, poetic narration and dialogue. We have embraced this freedom by aiming to tell this story in a way which transcends stereotypes of gender, race and ethnicity, and speaks to the more real, lived experience of trying to navigate oneself within today’s schools, which can often be bustling, chaotic and judgemental environments. It is my hope that this has been liberating for the young people, to have had the permission from Josephine to co-create our own version of this story together; to dream up our own wishes to improve schools, our own character arcs, our own classroom games and our very own roast battle.
Ingeniously however, whilst the playwright has given us this wonderful room for individuality, the magic of bringing her text to life has been in the opportunity for our young people to discover the power of coming together as an ensemble to tell a shared story. To have the ability to consider a breadth of perspectives, alongside their own, to tell different shades of a collective experience. Every character you see tonight has been carefully crafted over the last 6 months, by these intelligent, sharp young actors. Some characters and perspectives are true to them, and others are starkly different to themselves but are just as needed in this conversation.
Therefore, as your learning objective for today’s class, we ask you to think about how you would reform the education system, to accommodate the changing needs of young people today? So, sit tight, listen up and get ready for a schooling in Ms Campbell’s 5th Period English Class.
Warm wishes, Octavia
Aidan Chester
Alfie Darby
Annabel Hue
Bridge
Ava Hewson
Bonnie Hailes
Clem Clarke
Dylan McPherson
Emily Rushton
Freddie Sharma
Isla Corley
Mikel Equsquiza
Mya Sandhu
Phoebe Galbraith
Phoebe Head
Rishi Gohil-Patel
Roma-Faith Palfreman
Rowan Bower
Sam King
Siofra Sandhu
Teddie
Mythen-Barber
Tia Takodara
Yvae Rawle
PRACTITIONER AND DIRECTOR: Octavia Nyombi and Lorrine Douglas
COSTUME AND PROPS: Edd Lindley, Rachel Matthews and Jenni Tebbutt
TECHNICAL SUPPORT: Li Li Peberdy and Dave Norton
COMPANY STAGE MANAGER: Roshni Parmar
CHAPERONES: Helen Mclaren-Frost, Hannah Willars and Lauren Haigh
GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Justin Gladwin
PHOTOGRAPHY: Jonathan Pryke
To Leyla Josephine for being as excited as us in presenting this script to you.
Sssh! Before class starts, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Creative Programmes team here at Curve, for all of their hard work and planning for the CYCC classes. And a special thank you to Lorrine, who’s commitment, guidance and support has been invaluable to all of us in Ms Campbell’s class.
