Kingswood in Wonderland The Drama department’s junior production this year was a retelling of the famous ‘Alice’ stories written 150 years ago by Lewis Carroll. Our tale, written by 2015/2016 Drama Assistant Alexandra Ricou, told the story of Alex, a young girl dragged along by her parents to a stately home. Alex finds herself in Wonderland and trapped in an everchanging maze. Faced with the impossible task of finding her way back to her parents, Alex must find her way home and discover the things that truly matter most to her. Over 90 pupils in Years 7 to 9 took part in the production – six of them helping with the technical aspects of the show while the rest performed the challenging ensemble piece. Ten students took on roles as puppeteers and learnt how to manipulate various creatures designed from items you might find in the garden. The gigantic Jabberwocky head, fashioned from willow, was made by professional puppet maker Cori Bonner whilst the rest – including the Jub Jub bird, Rocking horse flies, Bread and Butter flies and beautiful flowers heads, were created by Mrs Marshall, Mrs Solomon Gardener, some handy mums and the student puppeteers themselves. The students enjoyed the trip to Wonderland immensely! Players in the junior production: Violet Isobel Creed
Tiger Lily Beth Harris
Larkspur Alix Keates
Honeysuckle Emma James
Daisy Rhiannon Knowles
Cornflower Eleanor Duke
Rose Holly Guy
Dandelion Henry McCollum
Oysters Nina Brain Harriet Hawtin Lisa Cancellieri Izzy Vaughan Francesca Ledbury Orla Thornley Amelie Morgan Sophie Hart
Mad Hatter Nick Baines
Cook Davida Samikwa
Dandelion Henry McCollum
March Hare Natasha McFadyen
Cheshire Cat Ethan Hawtin
Alex Alexandra Forbes-Cable Queen of Hearts Miya Cameron
The Year 10 Production Mobile Phone Show by Jim Cartwright For several years the Year 10 GCSE Drama students have produced their own show which serves as both an assessment and performance opportunity. This year the choice of text was Mobile Phone Show by Jim Cartwright – a piece designed to make us question our relationship with mobile technology in the modern world. Students worked on extracts in class before putting the pieces together into a full-length show. The audiences on both evenings felt that the play made some pertinent and poignant comments on how mobile phone technology in particular has changed the way we communicate with each other.