By Ava Oliver (Lower Sixth)

On Wednesday 30th November 2022, the Year 11 and Upper Sixth drama students went on the first Drama Department theatre trip of the year! In both the A Level and GCSE syllabus, students have to respond to live theatre in the written exam - a perfect excuse to take in a show! The department had arranged for us to see Agatha Christie’s, Witness for the Prosecution.

The play itself takes place, rather unconventionally, in a courtroom rather than a traditional theatre. This element of production was really exciting, and all 40 students were excited to see something unique. Before setting off on the trip, we were provided with a booklet for note taking and had a number of tasks to complete before boarding the coach - these notes will be referred to for revision as we near the exams themselves. One of the tasks was to research the play itself. The plot summary creates a certain amount of intrigue, and the pictures of the courtroom setting are beautiful – click the link here to see for yourselves.

As soon as the preparation work had been completed, we boarded the coach. The 'buzz on the bus' was palpable - especially when we drove down Oxford Street and saw the Christmas lights! Unfortunately, central London traffic struck, and Mr Stratton (Director of Dance and Drama) made the decision that we would walk the rest of the way, crossing the Golden Jubilee Bridge and onto the Southbank. The views were beautiful, and we were able to explore the small Christmas market and look at the stalls before heading to the theatre to watch the play. We had fantastic seats, up in the central and southern gallery, which gave us. the perfect sightlines to see all of the action unfold.

The storyline had me on the edge of my seat from the very beginning and there were plenty of twists and turns to keep everyone guessing. The style is very naturalistic, with some more stylised transitions. Due to the nature of the stage configuration, the performance was quite immersive and even included some of the audience as members of the jury! Personally, my favourite character was Romaine Vole, the wife of the accused. The actor was incredible and even played (spoiler) multiple characters. I was really inspired by her application of skill and flawless characterisation. Furthermore, another part of the play which I thought was superb was the use of staging and how some of the actors actually sat, as lawyers, in the audience seating.

I would recommend this production to all age groups. It has certainly given us lots to write about in our upcoming mock exams.