The re-launch of Caedmon

The Drama Department was delighted to re-launch Mayfield’s elite drama society, Caedmon, which has inspired and guided generations of Mayfield girls over the years on their journeys to stage and screen success, as you will see over the following pages. The re-launch was celebrated with an acclaimed performance of ‘Antigone’, reviewed here by OC Megan Cooke (Class of 2020), and a wonderful party attended (pre-lockdown) by members of Caedmon old and new.

Mayfield’s prestigious drama society, Caedmon, has re-formed for the first time in 15 years. The re-launch event on 10th October was a big success - a sophisticated evening with great food and even better company – which gave us the chance to meet former Caedmon members who shared their wisdom and experiences of theatre. There was a buzz of excitement in the air about our upcoming performances of ‘Antigone’, giving a lovely atmosphere to an evening which inspired the new generation to uphold the Caedmon tradition of excellence.

Rehearsals began in October and we focused on individual scenes and relationships between the characters, as this is an important part of creating truthful performances. Beginning with a skeleton overview of the scenes, we then added chorus points, creating abstract movement to fit with the dialogue while working on the unison and intention behind it to deliver strong storytelling. Rehearsals ran throughout October and November, with cast members rehearsing privately to develop their

scenes and characters further (which we felt was necessary considering the sophistication and standard this play requires). Everything began falling into place so that by the last week of rehearsals we could work on polishing the finer details.

Soon the performances arrived and the nerves kicked in but our cast performed both evenings beautifully, with Izzi playing Antigone and Samantha playing Creon. The feedback we received was beyond our expectations and we were thrilled to have been given such a complimentary reception for our first performance as the new Caedmon. I will treasure my memory of the cast singing the soundtracks to ‘Les Miserables’ and ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ at the top of our lungs while we were getting ready for each performance – a true behind the scenes highlight!

“ ...a lovely atmosphere to an evening which inspired the new generation to uphold the Caedmon tradition of excellence.”

‘Notes on Lockdown’ - Reminiscences by Caedmon Alumnae

‘Acting in Lockdown’ by Rosie Cavaliero (Class of 1986)

Just before Christmas 2019 I finished work on a long but extremely enjoyable shoot for the BBC called ‘Black Narcissus’, based on the Rumer Godden novel of the same name. You may remember the Powell and Pressburger film, a movie classic that I watched and adored regularly over the years.

Our intention with this version was to go back to the original book and explore it a bit more deeply. I was thrilled to be finally playing a nun, the hardy Sister Briony, able at last to call on my memories of Mayfield and its many Sisters during my years there in the 1980s. I had the added privilege of filming in Nepal, a breathtakingly exquisite country that I long to return to. I can hardly believe that I was there just over a year ago. It feels like a dream now.

Anyway, after we finished filming, I was pretty shattered and was looking forward to having January off, be at home with my family and have a bit of a rest. Little did I know how long that rest was going to last.

My industry is a tough one, it takes years to break into, it's a constant struggle to stay in and the fear of never working again never leaves you. I've spoken to the most famous and highly decorated actors in the business who still believe that their current job may well be the last. When young actors ask me for advice I have to bite my tongue when tempted to say “Please, just don't do it!” I remember getting advice from the late great Dame Peggy Ashcroft via my mother after she had met her on one occasion. Her reply when Mum asked about my acting bug was “Well, if there is absolutely nothing else in the world she can do… But there really has to be nothing else at all.” That advice didn't particularly thrill me at the time but it has stuck with me. It is a life full of rejection, terrible for the self-esteem, and it never gets any easier.

The national lockdown for the acting industry has been devastating. The complete shutting down of theatre has destroyed lives. Many have had to retrain, young actors have had to leave the business before they've even got started. Drama schools have gone online - try teaching a movement lesson to students via zoom! Teachers have been incredible at adapting to this situation but it is far from ideal. Just as the business was trying to address the issue

of why kids from less advantageous backgrounds weren't breaking through, the pandemic struck, making it even harder for those struggling at the best of times. The worrying thing is no-one really knows when it will get back up and running again properly. How soon will audiences want to gather together in an enclosed space? I am optimistic things will get back on track eventually, but I am saddened by how many livelihoods have been decimated in the process. And of course it's not just actors, it's musicians, producers, writers, designers, technicians, makers, stage management, front of house staff, the list goes on.

“My industry is a tough one, it takes years to break into, itʼs a constant struggle to stay in and the fear of never working again...”

Before having my son, my career encompassed a fair amount of theatre which I was lucky enough, now and again, to mix with TV and film roles. However, the prospect of long West End runs with a small child, eight shows a week and generally being away from home, did not appeal, particularly as I don't live in in London anymore. TV work, although intense, does mean you can have chunks of time between jobs to be at home with your family and have a relatively normal life, if that is indeed possible in this business. Therefore screen work and radio have been my source of income for the last 15 years or so.

Bizarrely, the day before lockdown was announced last March, I was on a train to London for an audition at the National Theatre for a new play. I was excited at the possibility of treading the boards again. As I got off the train at Paddington, my agent called to tell me to get back on and go home. The whole project was on hold for the foreseeable… After a few months however, the filming industry was allowed to get going again. This was down to government-backed insurance schemes and budget increases to allow mass testing regularly for cast and crew. It was deemed that the filming industry is essential. I don't feel that this is altogether fair as I watch small

businesses around me collapse, but such is the nation's desire for more and more telly to binge on. Regular Covid testing for a shoot is not cheap, some production companies simply cannot afford the extra expense for Covid protocol. Everyone is usually tested three times the week before filming and then three times a week while filming.

I have managed to complete a few jobs in the last few months with these strict measures in place. However you have to be responsible, avoid contact with anyone outside your bubble beforehand, be super careful on set, keep a two metre distance, wear a mask right up until the director shouts “Action” and keep the anti-bacterial gel on hand at all times. No-one can afford to slip up. Obviously infection hasn't been avoidable. If someone tests positive, filming shuts down, sometimes for up to two weeks or more.

My current job has been a series of stop-starts for various Covid reasons. Productions keep getting pushed until things are more settled. At the moment, no-one is quite sure when that will be. I feel privileged to have been allowed to work at all during these difficult months and it has reminded me that I love my job, despite the hard times that go with it.

I wish the Caedmon re-launch luck and joy. Drama is absolutely vital in schools. It gave me, along with the music at Mayfield, so many happy memories. It was where I felt the most at home, the most confident and the most fulfilled.

Break a leg!

FUN FACT: Three Mayfield alumni have all played nuns in the last year: Fenella Woolgar in ‘Call the Midwife’, Dolly Wells in ‘Dracula’ and moi. Plus ça change!

Helena Little (Class of 1978)

“What do you remember about my time in charge of Caedmon?” I asked my Whatsapp group of three die-hard buddies from that time of yore, circa 1976, at Mayfield. I was astonished back then to discover that, as was the tradition, the departing members of Caedmon voted for the next person to take the helm and they’d chosen me. I literally ‘got the badge’. Clueless, but full of energy, interest and enthusiasm, I mounted a production of NF Simpson’s ‘One Way Pendulum’. Long hours were spent below the stage in the Great Hall, constructing a bank of grandfather clocks out of cardboard.

In this absurdist drama, the final scene required them all to sing the Hallelujah chorus from Handel’s ‘Messiah’. However chaotic my production was (and certainly none of my buddies have the remotest memory of it. “What’s Caedmon?” asked one), I was clearly smitten and went on to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama to train. All these years later and I’m still acting. Even my construction skills have not gone to waste. I have a homemade audio booth to prove it! In this dark, duvetclad enclosure, my gorgeous Rode NT1A mic and I conjure up worlds and characters for all kinds of audiobooks.

I wish all my Caedmon colleagues of today a very happy, creative collaboration. Based on my memories of ‘One Way Pendulum’, my soundest advice is ‘don’t forget to rehearse Act III’.

‘Caedmon, cardboard and character-building’ by Polly Paulusma (Class of 1993)

The Happiest Days of Your Life by Clare Ghika (Class of 1987)

Caedmon was already a hallowed institution when I reached the Sixth Form at Mayfield. I journeyed up the ranks of the Drama Department through my seven years at Mayfield: Mrs Moore, the Drama teacher, ran a tight ship in those days and I was one of four brave guinea pigs to take Theatre Studies A Level for the first time under her stewardship. She was an amazing and inspirational powerhouse of positive energy, with her dazzling white hair and twinkling, smiling eyes. She made you feel there was nothing you couldn’t do. Having been in a Caedmon play directed by older girls, I took on directing a production of Edward Albee’s 'A Perfect Balance', with Claire Hemsley. It was one of the most stressful experiences of my life, and I think I probably let everyone know it was — but we pulled it off.

Back then, a treasure box existed of old photographs and programmes of Caedmon performances past, and we really felt part of a long chain of tradition. I wonder if it may turn up one of these days… but the spirit is re-kindled with the society’s re-launch. I hope the young women who work together to bring Caedmon performances to the Mayfield stage learn as much as I did through the process, lessons about the importance of teamwork and the value of working together on creative projects.

Su Collings, Former Head of Drama

I remember Caedmon very well and was delighted to be at the re-launch dinner in 2019. During my time teaching drama at Mayfield, I directed many Caedmon plays, the first being ‘The Boy with The Cart’ which was performed in the Chapel.

I am very glad that Caedmon is being revived, I remember judging many competitive sessions. The drama has always been strong at Mayfield and has been the start of many successful theatre careers. I send my very best wishes to all new members of the society and feel sure they will carry on the exciting work of their predecessors.

Good luck everybody and remember ... All the World’s a Stage!

Perched on a ladder, speaking with an American accent is my earliest memory of drama at Mayfield. I was lucky enough to be a cast member in Thornton Wilder’s ‘Our Town’, directed by Su Collings. As a new girl in the second year, the production gave me the chance to continue nurturing the acting bug I had caught at my prep school. I don’t think there was a year during the next six that I wasn’t a part of at least one production, whether directed by Mrs Moore, Mrs Collings, or Mayfield’s own homegrown, talented directors. There was always a script to learn.

And I will never forget the fiercely competitive Inter-House Drama competitions! Winning for Raphs in ‘The Real Inspector Hound’, alongside Fenella Woolgar (we played Moon and Birdboot), was a total joy. Treading the boards brought much happiness and excitement. And shrieks. I can still feel the nervous anticipation of waiting for the curtain to go up (so to speak) and the mad dashes underneath the length of the Concert Hall. The camaraderie, fun and even the queasymaking nerves made many happy memories. Co-directing and producing with Fenella our Sixth Form Caedmon production of John Dighton’s ‘The Happiest Days of Your Life’ felt a tremendous achievement. From the trip to London to select ‘our’ play, to holding auditions, building and painting the set (a box set for the first time in several years), and choosing costumes. It was all-consuming. The final preparations were not, however, without high drama. Pond (Headmaster of Hilary Hall School for Boys) succumbed to a nasty bug and Fenella took on the part at the eleventh hour. As the consummate professional, she played Pond as though the part had been hers from the first day of rehearsals. Quite brilliant. “It will be alright on the night” took on a whole new dimension!

While I didn’t continue to act at UCL, my Mayfield ‘dramatic’ experience has proved immensely helpful during my working life. And it gives me enormous pleasure, and pride, every time I see an OC’s name in lights.

Who knows, maybe there is time for a little drama yet!