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Theatre Trip to The Woman in Black (Year 11 GCSE Drama)

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November 10th 2021

Year 11 drama students attended the Woman in Black theatre trip on Tuesday 19th October at the Fortune Theatre in London. The trip was a culturally enriching experience allowing pupils to develop skills to evaluate a live theatre show. Pupils were given the opportunity to explore key aspects of a professional West End show, such as acting skills, costume, lighting, set design and sound. This theatrical experience allowed them to build knowledge about live theatre and therefore give them the tools to complete section B of their Component 3 GCSE written exam.

The play is based on a Victorian ghost story and is set in the quiet English village of Crythin Gifford. It is a play within a play and the protagonist Arthur Kipps is desperate to tell his terrifying story that has haunted him for many years. The Woman in Black’s malevolent presence in the play becomes more frequent and insistent as the story unfolds.  The play was inspired by Susan Hill’s novel and was adapted for stage by Stephen Mallatratt.

Pupils were fascinated by all the production elements and were mesmerised by the skills of the three actors in the show. They were excited to attend the theatre and during the interval one pupil said ‘I want to go on another theatre trip soon’, and another said ‘I really want to be an actor when I leave school.’ All pupils who attended the trip were impeccably behaved and the experience opened their minds to the different careers they could consider linked to theatre, acting and production. As we were leaving the theatre a member of the public complimented the pupils and said ‘It’s incredibly inspiring to see students taking an interest in the arts as they were so engaged during the performance.’ She also said ‘I was so impressed by their conversations about the play because young people are our future actors, writers and directors.’

I was extremely proud of all pupils on the trip and am looking forward to creating more future opportunities to develop and foster creativity and a life-long passion for theatre amongst our fantastic Warren students.

Ms. Hemlall