By Frau Arrowsmith (German Teacher)

On Wednesday 1st February, the German Department was pleased to welcome the Onatti Theatre Company back into school for the first time since the Pandemic.

The small cast performed a German play, Im alten Saloon, a lively story set in the old Wild West. With a script written especially for young learners of German, it was accessible to students from Year 8 – Year 11, with plenty of action, comedy and audience participation. There were even circus skills, line dancing and puppetry to keep us entertained. Well done to the volunteers who got up on stage, and especially Cecilia Linden (9RML), who ended up playing the long-suffering bartender to great comedy effect throughout the whole performance. Georgia Wiltshire (9AEB) said: “I really enjoyed the German play and thought it was very funny; my friends and I were surprised by how much we understood! The unique plot made us all laugh and certain students got to participate in the play which is great practice for German communication skills. I can’t wait to have fun at next year’s play!” 

Tireni Salako (11JDF) said: “It was an exciting break from lessons, making German even more enjoyable. Even with the wide range of vocabulary and natural fluency of speaking, it was easy to understand and was a good opportunity to practise our listening comprehension skills - especially for year 11. The voluntary audience participation engaged all year groups, making interactivity feel natural. A brilliant show!”

We look forward to the Onatti Theatre coming back later in the year with shows in French and Spanish, and are curious to see which topic will be explored in next year’s German play.