The inaugural Drama Showcase ‘The Summer Curtain Call’ took place on Wednesday 11th June to enthusiastic applause from the audience. It was a fantastic opportunity to bring together the talents of our actors from Year 9 Drama classes, from individual’s London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA) and from our Drama Scholars.
Director of Drama, Jessica Wittert van Hoogland, explained “I really want to give everyone an opportunity to perform. There are of course some of these students who are keen to get involved in our productions but this is an opportunity for them and for some of the others who might not have the confidence or might not have the time for that to show what they can do too.”
Lauren Brandwood, Drama teacher, reflected “A lot of these students haven’t yet been in a production at the school yet, it’s not just about the big shows. This showcases people who’ve got involved elsewhere, through LAMDA or in class. It gives them an opportunity to come out of their comfort zone and get on the stage for maybe the first time. It shows all the skills, students and abilities that we have; it’s amazing!”
The performances ranged from classical pieces such as a scene from ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ by Shakespeare to the more contemporary ‘Shrek’ by David Lindsay-Abaire! Shakespeare’s plays ‘King Lear’ and ‘Troilus and Cressida’ were also included, together with the popular GCSE text, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time’ byg Simon Stephens. The less familiar pieces such as the moving ‘Top Girls’ by Caryl Churchill or the entertaining ‘Rehearsal Notes’ by Lynne C Jones were very well received, and all the actors did a brilliant job on stage.
Marcus (Year 9) who played Starveling the Tailor in the Year 9 class scene of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ enthused “It’s very valuable to learn the piece and it’s fun to perform! It was good to be selected out of all the class pieces to be included in the showcase.”
Fellow actor, Reuben (Year 9) added, “I like working with Lauren and getting tips on techniques we could use throughout the play. Drama is big here with productions every year; it’s good because anyone can get involved in it.”
See more photos from ‘The Summer Curtain Call’.
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