Mrs Lang (Drama Teacher)

“To play needs much work. But when we experience the work as play, then it is not work anymore.” Peter Brook, Theatre Director.

Or, in other words, it’s called ‘a play’ because you’re supposed to play. This is an approach to theatre that the Year 9 cast of Macbeth embraced with a real sense of curiosity and intellectual playfulness, as they rehearsed and helped devised the abridged version of William Shakespeare’s ‘Scottish Play’ which was performed just before the half term break.

Underscored by a 90s inspired Industrial soundtrack combined with an alternative punk aesthetic in the design, this was an exciting and fast paced reimagining of the classic play.

The students worked extremely hard and pushed themselves to achieve a very professional level of performance in a short rehearsal period.

Their dedication to memorising some long and complicated speeches is to be commended and their evident growth in confidence was clear to see. Indeed, Chloe Rogers reflected: “Being in Macbeth boosted my confidence a lot and made me realise that I was a lot more confident than I thought I was. The thing I enjoyed the most about this experience was being able to work as an ensemble.”

It was an absolute pleasure to collaborate with such a willing cast and watch them bond as a tight-knit theatrical ensemble. Their sense of pride is evident in the reflections of Lauren Fraser: “I really enjoyed Macbeth and it was an incredible feeling being up on the stage performing. It was an amazing way to bring out a different side of myself.”

Phoebe Titchener added: “I would best describe it as a wonderful experience and something I will never forget.”

The Theatre Crew provided efficient backstage support taking independent responsibility for props, quick costume changes and scenery changes. They also helped design the lighting special effects.

Tireni Salako said: “I really enjoyed working on Macbeth because for me it was an opportunity to step into a bigger role backstage. This production challenged me in new ways but I had lots of fun finding different ways to problem solve. Working with a smaller cast and crew was also a nice change of pace.”

View photos from the production here.