A night of extraordinary talent At the A Level Drama evening

The Upper Sixth Drama class performed their examination pieces in front of a visiting examiner; both scripted and devised pieces were inspired by the theme of Freedom. Starting the evening, “Red”, by John Logan, featured Beau Roberts and Sam Moldon as the artist Mark Rothko and his assistant, Ken respectively. Their powerful portrayals vividly demonstrated the clash of two different perspectives on contemporary art. They were aided by a high quality, naturalistic set design from Lawrie Barton.

“Wild” by Mike Bartlett asked more questions than it answered, with Piers Montgomery playing a man kept captive in a hotel room – without knowing why – and Elizabeth Callaghan as his captor; her characterisation revealing a wicked sense of humour. The final text piece, “Gloria”, by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, had Alex Bain and Charlotte Gray, the sole survivors of a tragic incident, meeting for the first time since the event. The contrast between Alex’s nervy, gentle character and Charlotte’s more ferocious one was effectively portrayed. 

The devised pieces started with “Educate Education”, a Brecht-influenced play where the group gave some amusing interpretations of the current state of the education system. The last devised performance of the night, “Stonewall”, was influenced by the work of Frantic Assembly and had a set design by Lawrie Barton. The dynamic use of physical theatre techniques provided a fitting finale to a night of extraordinary talent.

Tim Silk, Director of Drama