Sixth Form Drama students visited the National Theatre Archive to watch three productions: Attempts On Her Life by Martin Crimp, Edgar Allen Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart, adapted by Anthony Neilson, and Lorca’s Yerma, modernised by Simon Stone, with award-winning actress Billie Piper at the helm.
A full day was spent analysing a variety of styles of theatre and discussing how the students could adapt these ideas and use them in their interpretations of the three set texts, for the written examination.
We then made our way to Trafalgar Studios to watch A Day in the Death of Joe Egg written by the late Peter Nichols. A stellar cast was a treat to behold and, significantly, this production marks the first time in the play’s West End history that a disabled actor (Storme Toolis) has been cast in the role of Joe.
While Nichols’ play may have lost its initial shock value, this revival shows it still possesses a rare truth and humanity.
By Rhiannon Johnson, Director of Drama
