School Productions

Senior School Drama “A View from the Bridge”

An accomplished student led production of Miller’s play about immigration and honour was performed in the Chapel. Directed by the Ravindran twins who captured the close, tense atmosphere of 1950s New York and the tragedy of ordinary men.

The Shakespeare Trilogy

Shakespeare’s plays are known for being lengthy, so I am sure many raised an eyebrow at our decision to stage not one, but three of Shakespeare’s finest plays. However that is what we chose to do , and on Thursday 20th and Friday 21st of March, the Drama department performed ‘Richard III’, set in the 1930s to a soundtrack of live jazz, ‘Romeo and Juliet’ accompanied by Motown music, and a modern day ‘Much Ado About Nothing’. All three pieces included live music and dancing to enrich the superb acting on display from this very talented cast. We began the evening with the History play, and Jack Bradfield was outstanding in his depiction of the villainous Richard, as we watched him dispose of the other characters one by one. We were then treated to romance and tragedy as Max Lewthwaite’s Romeo met Alicia Harris’s Juliet, before racing to their deaths. Finally light relief came in the comedy of Much Ado with Daniel Finucane’s(120) hilarious Benedick sparring with Emily Macpherson-Smith’s (12V) feisty Beatrice set alongside the very sweet Claudio (Joseph Cordery (120) and Hero (Rachel Wood (120). Congratulations to the whole cast, including musicians, for a wonderful show!

Showstoppers

Those of us who attended Show-stoppers on Thursday evening were treated to a fine display of musical, dance and dramatic talent with extracts from Wicked, West Side Story, The Lion King, Matilda and lots more. Congratulations to all the performers involved and thanks to the music and drama staff for the time and energy they gave to make this happen. The pictures speak for themselves.

out And About Theatre Society

85 members of the Sixth Form Theatre Society were entertained by ‘Tory Boyz’ a peek behind the scenes at Westminster focussing on attempts to avoid crises and scandals. The term ended with ‘The Scottsboro Boys’ at the Young Vic a bold, radical show confronting prejudice.

On 13 December, 60 students attended a performance of Carmen at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden as part of the Schools’ Matinee series, with tickets very kindly subsidised by the Taylor Family Foundation. For all but a lucky few, this was the first opera students had seen, although many recognised the thrilling tunes. The production was fast-moving and passionate and we loved the full-blooded sound of the orchestra and the dramatic performances of the singers. It was a wonderful end-ofterm treat and a brilliant introduction to this art form.

Everyone thoroughly enjoyed watching Kate O’Flynn and Lesley Sharp in Shelagh Delaney’s ‘A Taste of Honey’ at The National Theatre. Written when she was just nineteen, the play is one of the great defining and taboo-breaking plays of the 1950s. Students are looking forward to seeing ‘A Perfect Nonsense’ at The Duke of York Theatre later this year.

6th Form English Trip “Tis Pity She’s a Whore” at the Barbican

On 22nd April, Sixth Form English students had the pleasure of seeing John Ford’s ‘Tis Pity She’s A Whore at the Barbican, in a modernised production by the theatre company Cheek By Jowl.

Before the performance, the students also attended a talk and open discussion with the show’s Assistant Director Paris Erotokritou, who spoke to us about the performance and the theatre company more generally. Paris discussed the particular approach to the text that had informed this production and the changes they had made to Ford’s original text.

Focussing on the themes of love and loss, they developed a physically intense and visually rich interpretation of Ford’s still controversial play, which handles issues of incest, manipulation and corruption. The plot centres around the young Annabella, sought in marriage by a cast of competing suitors, and her ardent relationship with her brother Giovanni, which will ultimately end in tragedy. Set entirely in Annabella’s bedroom and bathroom, this production gave a central role to sexual desire and desirability in a complex society of ubiquitously compromised morality.

Striking, excessive and ceaselessly hedonistic, the production was a powerful spectacle and troubling moral exploration that gave little in the way of resolution. The evening was a thoroughly enriching and - despite the weight of the themes - very enjoyable one. It was especially rewarding for the Year 13s currently studying the play and no doubt left a strong impression on the Year 12s, which they can carry forward into their studies next year. Our thanks to Mrs Goodman and Ms Wilkie for organising the trip.

Jack the Ripper

Year 8 cross-curricular day considered Who was Jack the Ripper? through History, Chemistry and English lessons, reviewing a range different sources, including the infamous Ripper letters. Despite the five murders in Whitechapel, 1888, it was difficult for police because of unreliable witness statements. Students tried to draw a photo fit image based on witness reports and conducted experiments to investigate chromatography and traces left at the scenes, linking this to handwriting analysis they did during English. Alas, they were unable to unravel the mystery!

County Final of Poetry Recital Competition

Kent University’s Gulbenkian Theatre hosted the County final of Poetry by Heart where, after intense competition, including a pre- and post-1914 poem, and one from a World War 1 anthology, Richard Decker (10M), the only boy, emerged as the winner of an all-expenses-paid ‘poetry’ weekend at the London regional final. Beginning with a reception at St Martin in the Fields, he will enjoy readings by famous poets, Andrew Motion and Jean Sprackland, a tour of the National Portrait Gallery and dinner at Planet Hollywood. Richard has prepared The Death Bed, by Siegfried Sassoon, Ulysses by Alfred Tennyson and The Galloping Cat by Stevie Smith; we wish him well in the final.

Bookbusters and Young Writers

These new clubs run by the Librarian and 6th Formers enable Years 7 – 9 to take part in activities and discussions on book themes, such as Anthony Horowitz’s Stormbreaker series. Young Writers group encourages members to write creatively and produce a stories based on various subjects and genres.

Speakersbank Workshops

Following training by professionals in public speaking, 4 finalists, Tommaso Candita Simpkins (9C), Henry Rennolls (9C), Martin Senior (9H) and Tanay Vankayalapati (9B) were chosen for the borough wide ‘Speak-Out’ challenge, acquitting themselves very well in a competition of very high standard.

Playwriting Group

The New Views group went to see Nick Payne’s Blurred Lines in The Shed, the new performance venue at the National Theatre. This new piece explores women’s roles in modern society and the more subtle sexism that goes unchallenged. Our playwrights have now handed in the first drafts of their plays and have met individually with a National Theatre playwright to receive individual feedback on their work.

Y8/9 Play: Hearts

As part of The National Theatre Connections scheme, students have been working on Hearts, a play set in the changing room of a football club that is dying as players leave one by one to join a better team. Their performance was attended by representatives from The National Theatre and will be staged at The Marlowe Theatre in May.

Christopher Tower Poetry competition. Congratulations to Jack Bradfield (120) whose poem Helmets has been long-listed for Christopher Tower Poetry Prize - a competition that attracts hundreds of entries from budding young poets from across the UK. Now in its fourteenth year, this is one of the most prestigious poetry competitions in the UK, with a reputation for discovering fresh and exciting talent such as Caroline Bird, Helen Mort, Richard O’Brien, Charlotte Runcie, Anna Lewis and Annie Katchinska. Funded by a bequest to Christ Church, Oxford, it is headed by the poet and academic, Peter McDonald, first holder of the Christopher Tower Tutorship in Poetry in the English Language at Christ Church, where he also holds a lectureship.