On Tuesday 24th September, members of the Drama Department went to watch a production called ‘Warhorse’ written by Michael Morpurgo in Manchester at the prestigious Lowry Theatre, produced by The National Theatre on their UK and Ireland Tour. War Horse is an unforgettable theatrical experience which takes audiences on an extraordinary journey from the fields of rural Devon to the trenches of First World War France. This powerfully moving and imaginative drama, filled with stirring music and songs, is a show of phenomenal inventiveness. At its heart are astonishing life-sized horses by South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company, who bring breathing, galloping, charging horses to thrilling life on stage.
Warhorse is about a young lad called Albert and a farm horse called Joey who is sold to the British Army during the First World War. After the war, Joey is put up for auction because the British Army do not need him anymore but in the end, the two of them do reunite, and that brings the story to an end with a heartwarming conclusion.
The year groups involved on this trip were the GCSE and A level Drama students and some year 8 and 9 Drama Scholars.
My favourite part of the show was the transformation of Joey from a baby horse to a bigger horse to show him getting older, which was portrayed by amazing puppetry.
The thing I took away from the show is that behind the scenes, there isn’t just performing, but there’s also costume, set making, sound, lighting, and stage management.
This links to my GCSE because in the lessons we can discuss with each other about the show and then start to write notes about it, including costume and set.
I think this opportunity was excellent, and you’d be very lucky to go on one of these trips.
“My favourite puppet was the goose!” - Samuel Brown – Year 10
“I was extremely emotional throughout the performance” - Ella Pettit – Year 11
“This was my first Drama trip; I loved it and i cannot wait for the next one” - Rowan Hibbert – Year 8