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Another week, another English theatre trip! This week, Ms Connelly, Ms Phillips, Mr Smith, and I accompanied 45 Year 10 and 11 pupils to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre for a fast-paced and contemporary production of Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy Romeo and Juliet, following the brief romance of his famous ‘star-cross’d lovers’ as they fight to survive against a backdrop of violence and conflict. We travelled by coach to the venue, arriving in good time to take in the unique atmosphere of what is simultaneously both the oldest and one of the youngest theatres in London. We were ushered to our seats by the friendly and enthusiastic volunteers, one of whom was delighted to know that we were from TWGGS, as she had previously served as a governor of the school and her daughter is one of our alumni! For the Year 11 pupils, this was their second visit, as we were lucky enough to secure tickets for their whole cohort to see Macbeth there two years ago. For many of the Year 10s, this was their first experience of the ‘Wooden O’, but I am confident it will not be their last. 

The production we saw ran as part of the Globe’s educational offering and is heavily subsidised by Deutsche Bank. It was slightly shortened, to 90 minutes without an interval, but none of the essence (or indeed language) of the play was lost as a result. The director, Lucy Cuthbertson, brought the play very much into the twenty-first century, with BMXs, knife crime, selfies, and an NHS morgue scene at the end of the play, proving the endurance, universality and relevance of Shakespeare’s themes. The pivotal fight scene, around which the play’s action hinges entirely, was particularly impactful: following Mercutio’s death at the hands of Tybalt, a BMX stunt biker paused not to help, but to take a selfie with his corpse, raising questions about our own morality in present day society. The production encouraged us to think afresh about some of the moments, characters and lines of the play, which is crucial both in developing a lifelong love and appreciation of Shakespeare and in supporting our pupils to achieve the highest standards in their English Literature GCSE. 

Mr Tugby