PUBLISHED 22 March 2024
On Thursday 14th March, the Drama Department welcomed in an external examiner for the Year 11 GCSE Drama class’s scripted exam. After a long day, the studio’s doors were then opened for upcoming GCSE students and the Year 11 students’ parents to showcase what they’ve been preparing for their exams. Students performed the extract of their choice (having performed 2 in the exam) to their audience. Alex W (Year 12) flawlessly presented the evening opening and closing the event and supporting her fellow students’ work.
The showcase began with a performance from Charlotte C, Scarlett P, Connie S, and Lucy T, called ‘Bouncers’ by John Godber, and focused on the topic of nightlife in the 80s. Each performer had the opportunity to multi-role various characters, and some moments had the audience laughing in their seats. I particularly enjoyed Charlotte’s character because she embodied multiple different characters within the performance and had different accents for each! Her change from a Scouse woman (Sexy Susie) to a punk with a Cockney accent (Ruffage) was incredible! The piece overall was performed to a high standard and definitely left the audience wanting more!
“I absolutely loved staging the bathroom scene because it was such a comedic scene that the four of us could play around with. I found the process of learning how to comedically be a male character interesting to figure out and balance with my other characters” - Charlotte C, Year 11
The next performance was delivered by Eleanor J, Emily J and Niamh G, who performed ‘Blackout’ by Davey Anderson. This performance was centred around a boy who has gotten into trouble with the police over knife crime. These performers used flashbacks to effectively add to the storytelling. I thoroughly enjoyed Eleanor’s performance because she used her voice to her advantage, clearly conveying each emotion. She also used her vocal skills to show differences between each character; an example of this is her character portrayal of James to the character portrayal of Grandad, where she lowered her pitch and spoke in a gruff tone, as well as adapting her posture to match that on a hunched old man. Throughout, the actors delivered their piece to an exceptionally high standard and impacted the audience by taking them on a rollercoaster of emotions as we begin to feel sorry for the young boy, who cannot remember the events that took place recently.
“It was such a fun script to work with that gave us the opportunity to explore different acting techniques!” - Niamh G, Year 11
Following ‘Blackout,’ students Anya D and Owen G performed their extract from ‘Lungs’ by Duncan Macmillan, which is about a couple struggling with having a baby. The performers used crying to effectively communicate the sadness that the character is feeling. Anya’s performance left me feeling upset for the character and everything that had happened. She delivered each line with exceptional emotions and her characterisation was flawless. Furthermore, Owen’s reactions to each emotion were performed perfectly. The two worked in effortless harmony. Without their piece, the showcase would have had a completely different atmosphere; they left the audience astounded at their talent and extremely connected to the narrative. This was a highly emotional piece that varied from anger to sadness in a matter of minutes. This left the audience feeling sympathy for their characters yet amazed at the talent of these two Year 11 students.
“It’s such an overwhelming emotional performance to be in. However, I’m so grateful we shared such a realistic story to highlight the ups and downs of life.” - Anya D, Year 11
Finally, Jacob B, Evangeline D and Rhys N closed the showcase with their piece from the play ‘Teechers’ by John Godber. This was a comical performance about a group of students who create a play and begin to perform it, based on their own teachers. This performance used narration to add extra information and highlight valuable information that wasn’t necessarily explained in their actions. I also loved the breaking of the fourth wall when they addressed a member of the audience, because it felt like a completely comfortable atmosphere, and it sent the light-hearted tone for the rest of the performance. I found Evangeline’s performance spectacular due to her amazing characterisation and physicality. Her narration lines were delivered to perfection. The ease of changing between characters, even with each character having a different accent to the next, really made the performance as she managed to portray multiple characters effortlessly, but she also portrayed her sharpened acting skills.
“The hardest part of the process in making 'Teechers' was definitely figuring out the accents for each character, so we decided to take the basis of each character - especially the teachers - from other teachers in the school". - Rhys N, Year 11
Overall, the piece was preformed to an extremally high standard and impacted the audience by bringing back memories of their time in school.
“After watching the GCSE drama performances on Thursday I feel more excited than ever to begin GCSE drama myself in September. I found it really interesting to see what can be created and the versatility offered in the pieces you can create - from comedic scenes to more sad and dramatic pieces. I’m excited to be able to do that work myself and I'm inspired by the clear level of hard work that’s gone into this year's GCSE students’ work!” - Ava H, Year 9
I thoroughly enjoyed attending the showcase and watching all the performances. They were of high quality, and it has made me extremely excited in preparation for GCSE Drama, which I will be taking in September.