On Thursday 8 October, each Year 11 Performing Arts pupil entertained a live audience with a collection of monologues and duologues, that showcased their ever-increasing performance skills, highlighting the incredible progress that has been made since starting the course in September last year. Organised by Head of Drama Mrs Jenny Nunes, parents, staff and fellow students filled the Tithe Barn theatre, giving the budding thespians an appreciative and crowded audience!
Will Parton kicked off the evening with an emotional performance about abandoning a loved one. Following Will’s touching piece were Dan Butt and Sam Lowe, who had also both chosen to perform monologues. Dan’s piece was taken from a play called Home, and through his skilful performance he convinced the audience of his desperate need for his own, independent space, and his protection towards his brother. Sam Lowe stunned the audience with his convincing portrayal of a suicidal man.
Fergus Elrington and Jack Turnbull had chosen to perform a duologue together. They took on the challenge of performing a piece from William Shakespeare’s famous play, The Taming of the Shrew, with great success; the piece was very amusing! On the opposite end of the scale, Ollie Brown and Will Bailey had chosen a hard hitting political piece about the catastrophic events of 9/11, taken from the play Decade. Matt Down was incredibly convincing in his role as an ex-prisoner, whilst being told off by his support worker, played by Finlay Morris, who gave a similarly convincing performance. The night ended with Eliott Jordan and Tom Coates, performing their second piece of the evening; a comedy revolving around unrequited love in which Eliott’s character trusting nature is truly revealed!
Overall, the evening proved a fantastic success and superbly entertaining, with a high turnout of pupils, staff and parents to support the students. The event was also the final opportunity to perform live before the GCSE practical exam, the mark for which will go towards their final GCSE grade. Mrs Nunes said of the evening that she was ‘proud of how hard the boys worked and the effort put in; this was a fantastic opportunity to fine tune any performance issues ahead of the all-important practical coursework and the boys have really proved that they can give a thoroughly entertaining, creative performance.’