West End Trip to see To Kill A Mockingbird
On Wednesday 11 January, GCSE Drama pupils went to see To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee at the Gielgud Theatre, London.
The play is about 25-year-old Tom Robinson who had been allegedly accused of raping 19-year-old Mayella Ewell and his journey through the case with his lawyer Atticus Finch.
The play is an adaptation of the original book and Director Aaron Sorkin has done an excellent job of highlighting important themes such as racial discrimination, child abuse and sexual harassment just to name a few.
The Actor Matthew Modine plays the role of Atticus Finch and his delivery throughout the whole play was captivating. Us as the audience were hooked on every single one of his words, and his thoughts and feelings were conveyed beautifully. His use of various acting techniques made him as an actor stand out.
The storyline of the play could be quite hard to follow at points but the effective use of thought tracking throughout helped us understand the complex moments with ease. Not only did it help us to follow the storyline, it aided us in creating a greater connection with each individual character and understand them on a deeper more emotional level. They each had their own moment to convey their inner thoughts to us. This was a unique and effective idea from Harper Lee and Aaron Sorkin that has set this play apart from others.
The themes in the play are very sombre which creates a tense atmosphere within the audience, but the use of comedy breaks up and relieves some of that tension. An individual who got the crowd going every time was Ellis Howard who played Dill. He had great comedic timing and his funny lines and jokes really contrasted to the tense scenes taking place.
Overall, this was an amazing play and the message of racism and inequality came across powerfully and meaningfully.
Review by Ananya Kailasam (Year 10, Rosebery)
Set Design Workshop for Drama Scholars
On Thursday evening, 11 Drama Scholars were inspired by professional set designer Constance Villemot who visited the College to deliver an interactive workshop. Constance mesmerised the scholars with images of her incredible creations and then the pupils were able to get hands-on as they used materials ranging from yarn to newspaper and upturned tables to innovate and create thoughtful set designs of their own. The session really succeeded in developing the scholars’ skills and broadened the way they will think about creating theatre in the future.
Sophia Traynor (Year 8, Jeffery) said: “I really enjoyed the workshop! It was a lot of fun and I learned a lot about designing, and the fact that the props and costumes play a big role in productions.”
Lila Unlu (Year 7, Jeffery) said: “The workshop about set prop design, was really fun. I had a great time and learned lots. We got to make our own module stage set and my group made a Stranger Things one. Overall, I had a great time and it was such a fun learning experience.”
