SWANSONG FOR YEAR 13 DRAMA AND THEATRE STUDENTS

Drama and Theatre Studies students from Richmond School and Sixth Form College performed a double bill to a full house as well as a live examiner at The Georgian Theatre Royal recently. The two performances, which were entirely the students’ own work, were examination pieces for their A-level Drama and Theatre Studies course.

The first segment was a group scripted piece from Indie-Mae Allen, Maise Forbes, Isla Henderson, Callum Leinster, Sophia O’Callaghan and Toby Watson who, as a part of their Component 2: Text in Performance unit, staged a 45-minute performance which was cast and directed by themselves. The students were given total creative freedom for their interpretations and they each contributed to creating an impressive, high-standard piece of work.

The group chose to stage the comedy ‘What the Butler Saw’ by Joe Orton. The play sees Doctor Prentice, a psychiatric doctor in an exclusive private clinic, attempting to interview (and seduce) an attractive would-be secretary, Geraldine. Unwittingly surprised by his wife, he hides the girl. Chaos ensues as, amongst other crazed and tangential plot lines, Sergeant Match searches for the ‘missing part of Sir Winston Churchill’.

The play was very well received by the audience who really appreciated the work that had been so carefully created by the Year 13 Drama and Theatre Studies cohort. At times the audience erupted in laughter as the chaos – sometimes a little risqué! – unravelled before their eyes.

As the college completes its first run of the Drama and Theatre Studies A Level after recently restarting the course, the final segment of the evening was the Year 13 solo examination work for their Scripted component which consisted of both tragic and contemporary monologues. The group took on a range of monologues which included extracts from Medea, Bug Study, Hamlet, Rare Birds, Agamemnon and The Edelweiss Pirates.

Stephen Birdsall, Drama Teacher, said: “The standard of examination work presented during the evening could easily have been professional as they took to the stage with such high standards. As always, I am honoured to have a set of dedicated and highly talented students whose creativity, resilience, determination, independence and teamwork have really shone through for their final performance for Richmond School and Sixth Form College. As our Year 13s get ready to embark on their higher education courses it is fair to say that they have been exceptional ambassadors for Drama and Theatre at Richmond School & Sixth Form College and we wish them well on their next adventures!”