A group of Year 11 Drama students took to the stage to
perform an original exam piece to the delight of the visiting Year 5 from
Shiplake Primary school. The piece, entitled Into the Beyond: A Voyage of
Discovery, was a creative and comical piece that showcased the students’
imagination and teamwork.
Students were given three requirements from the exam board, around which they had to craft a script of their own. The criteria
involved acting for a Key Stage 2 audience, using the title Into the Beyond: A
Voyage of Discovery, and using the location of a Science and Art fair. The play
focused on a group of students who were on a field trip to the Science Museum, and
explored the drama that ensued when three of the students stole an ancient and
incredibly valuable artefact. George Martin, Oscar Fagerstrom-Day and George
Cowley all gave comical performances as students who stole a prehistoric egg
from the Science Museum, which had the ability to transport people to any place
and time. The pupils landed on a far-away planet, only to be confronted by an
isolated doctor with aspirations of world-domination, and his friendly but
quirky arch-nemesis.
Finn Arbuckle gave a hilarious performance as Dr Nee,
the manic doctor bent on taking over the world at any cost. Jamal
Springer-Lynch, as his once best friend and now arch-nemesis, gave an
entertaining performance as Professor Po, complete with ballet dancing. James
Vivien appropriated three different roles, becoming first the teacher escorting
the students on the trip, then a lecturer at the Museum, and finally the Queen
of England, in a clever plot twist that saw Dr Nee poison Her Majesty and
attempt to steal her position. Kerim Philliskirk and Hugo Warner teamed up to
great enjoyment from the audience, acting as two burly but clueless Security
Guards at the Museum, who, whilst arguing between themselves, failed to notice
the egg being plucked off its stand by the mischievous students.
The cast made fantastic use of the set and lighting
design. Painting the walls with UV paint and handing members of the audience
glow sticks when they came in, the students created an ethereal atmosphere
onstage that lent itself to the other-worldly location of the action. A
particular highlight was the students flying through space to the other planet;
with the lighting low, the remaining cast members cloaked in black lifted
George, Oscar and George, giving the appearance that they were flying through
space. Seb Rivett remained astute on the Sound and Lighting desk.
The real testament to the hard work of the pupils and
Drama Department is surely in the smiles and laughs of the Year 5 Shiplake
Primary students.
To see more photos from the performance, please click here.