News

The annual Year 9 Drama Festival took place this year on Friday 3rd February. Each of the Year 9 forms have been tasked – during their English and Drama lessons this term – with producing performances of key scenes from a selection of contemporary plays which encompass a wide array of challenging themes. As usual, each form was responsible for all of the elements that are involved in putting together a professional production: acting, directing, staging, sound, lighting, set design, costume design, make-up, props, and choreography. 

During the morning, each form had a full tech run through in the hall and were able to rehearse all morning in their designated rooms, putting the final touches to their entertaining – and in many cases, extremely moving – performances. Every form rose to the challenge spectacularly, with the chair of judges, Dr Blanch, commenting on how impressed she was by the overall standard in what proved to be an uplifting afternoon which really showcased the exceptional talent we are proud to harbour at TWGGS. 

This year’s plays included the now perennial favourites – The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (9S), Lord of the Flies (9G) and Noughts and Crosses (9I) – as well as two well-received new plays, Blue Stockings (9T) and The Empress (9W). The scenes selected for performance were as diverse as a Lascar Sailors’ Rap in the opening scene of The Empress, Christopher’s overwhelming sensory experience at Paddington Station in Curious Incident and a very poignant defeat of the pioneering women’s fight to be awarded degrees at Cambridge University in 1896 in Blue Stockings. The award for the best overall production, though, went to Lord of the Flies, for their dramatic rendition of the descent into chaos and barbarism experienced by the 1950s school boys as time passes on their isolated desert island. 

We would like to thank the whole of Year 9 for providing such an enjoyable afternoon of high quality drama and are very much looking forward to seeing Year 8’s efforts in their Shakespeare festival later in the year! 

Miss Patman and Mr Tugby