By Mrs Graves (Head of English)

The first raindrops fell on the window of the minibus as we left school; the beginning of an appropriately atmospheric journey to Stratford to see one of Shakespeare’s best known tragedies, Othello, but it wasn’t enough to dull the shine of the brilliant performance that our Sixth Form A Level and IB Diploma students had the opportunity to see in support of their studies.  

This performance was innovative and full of new life. An almost entirely bare set and sombre Jacobean costumes were elevated by haunting acapella singing at key moments and clever use of two key layers in the staging which created the sense of intimacy or isolation at the whim of the director. 

Amongst the fantastic performances, the dark comedy that Will Keen brought to Iago’s manipulations was notable, and this interesting interpretation gave our students a lot to think about in their reading of the play. However the tragic culmination of the play was the moment many in the audience had been waiting for, and it did not disappoint. The quiet was electric and the emotional energy of the moment stayed with us even as we stepped back out into the rain to make our way back for a very late pick up at school. 

Nawaal Qazi (Lower Sixth) said: “This was a very engaging performance of the play. It contained many of the traditional elements that I expected from Shakespeare, but it was interesting to see the modern interpretation in the set design.” 

Keyah Longdon (Lower Sixth) added: “Watching the play live definitely helped me to gain a clearer understanding of the play as I was immersed in the whole experience, being part of the audience. Hearing the actors- the tone they used, the way they spoke- brought the play to life.”