Our Drama Scholars were delighted to find themselves in London’s West End on Monday 19th May for a Scholars’ Trip to Tony Award winning production of ‘The Great Gatsby’! This brilliant adaptation of F S Fitzgerald’s classic novel of the roaring twenties has been praised by the New York Times as ‘A lush, bewitching, and dazzling new musical’ as it arrives in the UK from Broadway for a six month run at the London Coliseum. Our students were immersed in the opulent world of Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan for a night of extravagant entertainment exploring the American dream, the pursuit of love, the moral decay of the jazz age and the illusionary nature of social success.
Director of Drama, Jessica Wittert van Hoogland, explained, “This trip is a valuable chance for students to be inspired by high-quality professional theatre, strengthen working relationships within the scholar cohort, and celebrate their collaborative efforts over the year.”
Connie (Year 8) commented, “I thought the costume design and the set design were really good. I also like the use of proxemics and levels during the dances.”
“The Great Gatsby was really good as it was really interesting to see how much the ensemble enhanced the performance through like their dance and I think it was a really good representation of how the main characters don’t make the entire play.” enthused Isi (Year 9)
Max (Year 9) added, “I really enjoyed watching The Great Gatsby thought the acting was really good but not only the acting, the technical side of it as well with all the setting and the props. I think they used lots of proxemics as well and levels. I think what really stood out for me, as we’re learning about marking the moment in Year 9 Drama, we saw it at the end with the symbolism by Jay Gatsby at the end and I thought that really brought the show all together.”
Indi (Year 10), contributed, “I really liked the costumes and the lighting and the storyline. I thought it really interesting and a great experience for all of us!”
Holly (Lower Sixth) undertaking English and Drama A Levels, reflected, “I found it very beneficial to see a book turned into a show as I think it’s a really interesting way to communicate emotion.”
Frankie (Year 7) was pleased to have seen the show, saying, “I think it was a great opportunity as a Drama Scholar to see the techniques and the abilities that the actors used. I thought it conveyed the story incredibly well and was a great experience that I will remember.”
“I really enjoyed the second half of it because it had a few plot twists and it was definitely a bit darker. I think this really conveyed the symbolism of, I guess, the lights on the other side of the lake, which was good.” concluded Jack (Year 7)
Drama is one the most popular aspects of the Arts at Leighton Park where we combine creativity with the logical thinking from STEM subjects to teach our students effective problem-solving, teamwork and initiative.
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