Drama

On a warm sultry June evening the Year 8 parents were transported back to the slums of 19th century London. It is true to say that the boys had a captive audience - we had been unable to watch them perform a play for so long (thank you Covid 19) that we were never going to be too picky. That said, in spite of disrupted rehearsal times, broken voices and a hectic end of year schedule, the boys put on a fabulous performance of Oliver! We were all so pleasantly surprised and impressed. The whole cast put in so much effort and genuine enjoyment to their performances, but special mention should go to the boys who succeeded in nailing their lines and hitting the high notes. James Holden gave his Oliver an innocence and a sweet as honey voice. Aki Akinola was a joyful and mischievous Artful Dodger with masses of energy. Alex Anderson gave his Beadle a gravitas and nailed his Boy for Sale - eat your heart out Harry Secombe! Fagin was played with intelligence and maturity by Adam Bond, who didn’t resort to the cheap tricks of previous actors in the part. Toby van den Berg was a truly menacing presence as Bill Sykes and surprised us all with his method acting when Nancy was hurled to the floor. Kitt Dorich played that part impressively especially as his singing voice had taken on a new timbre in the months between being offered the part and the actual performance. The other characters who did not have as many lines or solos must be congratulated as well. The likes of Kit Harris with his waspish manner, Sergey Teliatnik with great comic timing and many others (all of the Year 8s were involved) kept the audience laughing and hugely entertained. Behind scenes the cast were given huge help from the likes of Shelly Francis who orchestrated all the costumes. She did so well as the dressing up box is not normally meant to dress hulking lads about to leave prep school. Sian Bond came to the rescue and managed to create, as if by magic, a London Street scene and other set decorations. I know the effort involved by both, and the boys and parents are so grateful. The lighting was expertly managed by Pete Smith and his helpers, Inigo and Inigo. Special thanks to Anna Oliver for sticking with the play and ensuring the boys and their parents were able to enjoy such a splendid evening before saying goodbye to Elstree. Without these theatrical experiences, it would be unlikely that our sons would be brave or enthusiastic enough to continue acting at senior school so thank you very much! Miranda Dorich, parent

An Egyptian Whodunnit

As we strolled past the Wellingtonia, we were met by the elegant Tutankhamun and his beautiful wife, Ankhasenamun, welcoming us to Ancient Egypt and handing out artfully illustrated programmes. Enter the marquee and we were indeed transported to Ancient Egypt, a stunning backdrop of pharaohs, ancient pillars and rich hues of blue. The threat of the deftly crafted, papier-mâché red-eyed mosquitos, looming ominously above the heads of the audience. It wasn’t long before the Egyptian murder mystery was underway. The haughty Lord Carnarvon with the most distinguished accent, unveils the tomb and we discover that all is not right with the mummy. Carter points out that although the body is well preserved, there is a slight indentation on the back of the head and there appears to be a bite mark on his left cheek! The curse looms over the entire play, “Death shall come on swift wings to him who disturbs the rest of the Pharaoh.” Lord Carnarvon and Carter appeal to two detectives, the studious Homes and enthusiastic Gardens, to solve the mystery of the Pharaoh’s death. And as luck would have it, the intrepid detectives wander into a hidden chamber which is in fact a time portal. A quasi-panto approach with a pun on words, punctuates the entire score. We are encouraged to look out for constant clues regarding the Pharaoh’s ultimate demise. The children not only know their lines, but they are performing their roles, as if seasoned actors. The quality of the performance is ticket worthy. The opening scenes depict Tut as a young boy. A typical nine year old, he has his monosyllabic friends over for supper and of course a food fight ensues. The presence of the Tut’s father, the majestic Akhenaten is memorable. He commands discipline but soon all puerile behaviour is forgiven and we are treated to a musical trip down the Nile. A riparian set design and colourful costumes, present a feast for the eyes. Some years later and we are introduced to Tut’s chief advisor, the sinister Aye (pronounced “I” or “eye”). He is brilliantly cast, and his performance is noteworthy. It is evident immediately, that he has a lot to gain from the young Pharaoh’s death. Being Tut’s uncle, he also admits to knowing all Tut’s strengths and weaknesses… And so, our first suspect is revealed. Scene 4 introduces us to our two further suspects, Maya, Tut’s chief treasurer and Horemheb, chief of the army. Maya seems quite intent on the building of Tut’s tomb and Horemheb has an unnerving desire to lead Tut into battle. All three are opulently clad and are always accompanied by their respective leitmotif. Their performances cloaked in suspicion. Their scene is wrapped up with the very catchy ditty Do the Egyptian Step which has hands clapping and feet tapping. In Scene 5 we meet the older Tut and the irony is not lost on the fact that he is shorter and smaller than the young Tut. His power seems to have gone to his head, as he regales us all in song that he has us “Wrapped Around My Little Finger”. Four more years pass and Tutankhamun’s power continues to grow. In dialogue between Tut and Aye we learn of a fall at speed, from a chariot, which gives us a clue to the head injury, discovered by Carter and Lord Carnarvon in the opening scenes. Then a complete change of mood, as Tutankhamun is reintroduced to his old friend, the beautiful Ankhasenamun, who is to become his wife. An uplifting and emotive duet You Gave Me Wings has most mummies fighting back the tears, as an ethereal mood fills the room. But it is not long before Schuman’s score has us back on track, as we are introduced to the sleek Year 3 cool cats. Facial expressions (hugely enhanced by expert make up artistry) and feline movement, have us spellbound and fixated on the mischievous, stealth like creatures. Another touching scene between husband and wife, as Ankhasenamun elucidates on the meaning of their names, “ankh” meaning eternal life and “amun”, translating into the hidden one. The conversation leads to Tutankhamun opening up about something that is bothering him, but he is abruptly interrupted by the dreaded mosquitoes. He calls for the SWAT team and the audience are treated to a very wellchoreographed Tango to swatting mosquitoes! Our final scene culminates in the great banquet. Tutankhamun toasts each of his trusty advisers in turn and lastly his beloved wife. Once it has been established that all food and drink has been sampled by the tasters, an evening of festivities begin. And then a blood curdling scream, the Pharaoh has collapsed with his head in the fruit bowl. The royal physician confirms the worst – “I’m afraid he is dead.” The detectives who have been watching the entire time, take back control and demand the murderer make himself known. Great mirth and confusion as both Maya and Horemheb blame Aye. Poor Gardens suffers the wrath of Homes and is called a buffoon for not understanding the confession, is not a confession, but in fact an allegation. The narrator involves the audience and we’re all a little dumbfounded, as to who killed Tut. Voting for at least one of the advisers who have piqued our doubts or aroused our suspicions, during the course of the play. But just as we think it is all over, the mosquitoes cause havoc and clear the stage. Homes and Gardens stumble back into the time portal and discover they have been gone for 4 months and that Lord Carnarvon, too has died. He suffered at the proboscis of a mosquito. And for the great unveiling Mr Mesquita suddenly appears on stage and puts us all out of our misery. He asks the question – Do you believe in curses? Dun dun duuuun… He explains the mysterious bite on Tutankhamun’s face, exactly where Lord Carnarvon was bitten. Mr Mesquita admits his great ancestor killed King Tut and that he killed Lord Carnarvon, before making a rapid exit – must fly, he states. And so, the conspiracy theory that the Pharaoh was in fact killed by malaria, remains in our subconscious forever more. After a standing ovation, it was a play that left the normally verbose headmaster lost for words. The legendary Schuman had pulled off his best production to date, and Sid Inglis called for an encore. Enough praise cannot be given to our in-house playwright, the legend that is Mr Chris Schuman. Together with his team of choreographers, stage designers and costume designers, they have managed to transport the entire audience into the Egyptian time portal and left us contemplating the true demise of Tutankhamun. We were completely transfixed by the perfectly themed music, the masterful script and the talented boys and girls that gave his words and song, life. When asked where his inspiration comes from, he humbly replies, “I get all my inspiration from the children, they inspire”. Mr Schuman, we salute you. Jacqueline Fane, parent

Elstree girls from Years 5, 6 and 7 visited Downe House recently for ‘The Lion King Prep Schools’ Day of Musical Theatre.’ This was an opportunity to meet some drama and dance enthusiasts and to take on an incredible challenge of learning and performing Disney’s The Lion King in a day.

On arrival, all the schools gathered in the Performing Arts Centre for an introduction and warm-up. After a short break, the pupils were split into five groups. Sessions in drama, acting and dancing were organised for these groups with plenty of snack breaks throughout to keep the stamina and energy levels up!

After a delicious lunch, it was almost time for the technical rehearsal to begin. Visiting families and friends enjoyed an afternoon tea, and then the performance began. What a wonderful opportunity to showcase the skills that the girls had learned during the day, on stage. Not only were they able to bring such a wide array of fantastic characters to life, but they also fully embraced their new experiences, made new friends and had lots of fun.

This was a great experience for our girls and they thrived with the challenge. Well done to Kate Oliver who won the Downe House certificate for “the pupil from their group who was the best team player and showed the most drama scholarly qualities”. They presented it in front of the audience and parents at the end of the show.

Louise, Alumnae and the Events Officer at Downe House said, “We are delighted your girls had a wonderful time. We so enjoyed meeting you all, and please pass on my compliments to all the girls as they were an absolute delight and very talented”.

A huge thank you to the whole team at Downe House. The organisation was superb and our girls had a wonderful time.

“I really enjoyed it and the best bit was when we performed the actual play.”

Eva Lockhart, 5JRD

“It was funny being an elephant with Bella and Kweje!”

Arabella Pannell, 5CLP

“Everyone was really friendly, it was great fun.”

Clara Schmidt, 7AJP

“We sang some of the songs in Swahili but the teachers helped us a lot.”

Maisie Brown, 6PAS

“It was amazing to be able to do this in one day!”

(Jessica di Rienzo, 5CLP and Flora Napier, 5JRD

Year 5 studied Scripted Drama in their lessons this term and focused on Paddington by Michael Bond. Both forms were put in mixed ability groups and shared characters in a programme of short playlets. Children learnt to perform in the style of Brecht’s Epic Theatre, using only token costumes and setting up their own stage and props whilst the audience watches. This meant we had to be very organised and responsible, with each group member playing their part. Everyone rose to the occasion and our audience particularly enjoyed the colourful and humorous characters so typical of Paddington stories. Well done everyone! AO

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

Year 6 exceeded all expectations with their brilliant production of CS Lewis’ classic The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe adapted by Glyn Robbins. The four Pevensie children (Sophie Payne, Ethan Lockhart, Maisie Brown and Harry Clothier) had the audience spellbound as they jumped back and forth into the magical world of Narnia through a beautifully crafted, spinning wardrobe. Once in Narnia they encountered adventures with a Faun (sensitively characterised by Tilly Lloyd), a fearsome White Witch played by Kate Oliver and the amicable pair of Beavers (Seb Fowler and Kitty Butler). A big shout-out to Lachlan McGeoch for his stage debut as Aslan, and to all of Year 6 who rehearsed for hours to make the play the success it was.

We also owe our achievement to the beautiful set and costumes made possible by Jo Butler, Shelly Francis, Ed, Stuart, Paul and many mum volunteers. Other thanks must go to those involved with the lighting (Mr Smith, James, Alex), props (Mr Duarte, Mrs Syckelmoore), front of house (Thomas, Alex), programme cover design (Ryan), rehearsals and learning lines (Mrs Attwood, Mr Baxter and Mme Simonin), Lara (catering) and the gappers for their general support throughout. And a standing ovation is certainly due to the whole cast and Musical Director, Liz Collins.

Well done everyone! AO

Year 7 had a fantastic opportunity to participate in an all-day drama workshop led by two professional actors from the Watermill Theatre, Newbury. Both Lizzie and Joseph are graduates of The Watermill’s Youth Theatre and having trained at drama school, they returned to their roots by teaching the theatre makers of tomorrow.

The boys and girls started the day with some fun teambuilding and skillsbased drama games, after which they were presented with some stimulus for their Play in a Day. Lizzie had written a poem called, The End of the World which got the pupils thinking about which aspects of life they would find it hardest to live without.

In a practical sense, they were challenged to imagine what “the end of the world” would be for them. Each group had different responses, ranging from never having sport to a Jubilee catastrophe - the Queen passing. After much collaborating, creating and improvising, a story about a boy named Arthur started to unfold. Arthur had a dream in which the world ends, but thankfully, he wakes at the end of the play. All in all, the day was a lot of fun for everyone.

We were delighted to have our parents in to watch and I am sure they will all agree, that once again, our Year 7 pupils did us proud.

AO

“I had a great time. I would hope to repeat the day again.”

Gabriel Islam, 7AJP

“I really enjoyed this play in a day and cannot wait to do it again; to feel the adrenaline pumping through my veins and to have the time of my life.”

Leonardo La Corte, 7AJP

“It was a very fun day for me and it helped me to develop my skills like improvisation to a better level. I give huge thanks to them for organising this”.

George Johnstone, 7TDW

“I had a really fun day, and I learnt a lot on how to act properly and improvise well.”

Oliver Anderson, 7TDW