It has been a busy couple of months in the English and Drama departments: as well as our work in preparing pupils for their final GCSE and A Level examinations, we have offered enrichment experiences for a broad range of year groups this term.
Fifteen of our A Level English Literature students attended the flagship event of this year’s Charleston Festival, a renowned literary festival that takes place each year in the grounds of Charleston farmhouse, the home of Bloomsbury artist Vanessa Bell, the sister of Virginia Woolf. The event celebrated the centenary of the publication of Woolf’s famous experimental modernist novel, Mrs Dalloway and featured readings of the novel by actress Nancy Carroll, as well as the reading of original pieces written in response to Woolf’s novel by renowned contemporary authors Edmund de Waal, Caleb Azumah Nelson and Deborah Levy. We experienced a joyful evening celebrating the beauty, power and imaginative possibilities of the written word which gave the students a new perspective on one of their much-loved A Level texts.
Our current Year 10 GCSE Drama pupils and those in Year 9 who have opted to study Drama for GCSE from September had the opportunity to watch a matinee performance of The Crucible – Arthur Miller’s twentieth century historical tragedy about the Salem Witch Trials – which is their set text for the written exam. The unique setting of the reconstructed Globe Theatre, on London’s Bankside, was perfectly suited to the play, with the set designers making full use of the timber and thatch fabric of the theatre itself to immerse us into the world of Salem in 1692.
Although for many of the Year 9 pupils this was their first contact with the play itself, the clarity of the production and skilfulness of the actors’ delivery meant that they could effectively follow the plot, gasping, laughing and crying at all of the relevant moments. All of the pupils (and seasoned appreciators of The Crucible – Miss Patman, Mrs Davis and Mr Tugby) thought that the production, set, costumes, and acting were excellent and a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon was had by all. I am sure that for the Drama pupils, this will really impact their knowledge and understanding of the play, enabling them to approach the study and examination of the play with increased confidence.
We were delighted to host Quantum Theatre Company in the Linda Wybar Theatre on the morning of 19th June, to perform a condensed version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream for our cohort of Year 7 pupils. The production is especially tailored to appeal to Key Stage 3 pupils studying the play and complemented a full study of the play undertaken within Year 7 English lessons throughout the summer term. Quantum brought the classic tale of the four young lovers’ experiences of a fall-out between the King and Queen of the Fairies (Oberon and Titania) and their troublesome servant Puck to life in full technicolour and with a distinctly modern soundtrack to aid the humour of the piece. A crowd of smiling faces left the LWT for a slightly late, slightly extended breaktime following what was a truly ‘magical’ start to the day. Thank you to Ms Phillips who organised the event, which we hope will be repeated next year.
Our Lower Sixth A Level English Literature students experienced another dose of Virginia Woolf and the Bloomsbury group when we visited Woolf’s Sussex home, Monk’s House, in Rodmell, near Lewes, followed by a visit to an exhibition of her sister – Vanessa Bell’s – artworks at the recently-opened gallery Charleston in Lewes.
During the course of the afternoon, we had the opportunity to explore Woolf’s sitting room, dining room, bedroom, and garden writing room – which represents the feminist idea that in order for a woman to be able to write a novel, she needs a ‘room of her own’, as articulated in her 1928 essay A Room of One’s Own. We then ventured into the beautiful gardens that inspired so much of the floral imagery and symbolism found in Mrs Dalloway. As our visit coincided with the week in which ‘Dalloway-Day’ (the imagined third Wednesday of June 1923 on which the entire novel is set) is celebrated, the house was decorated with floral displays, too.
We were blessed with a sunny (and very hot!) afternoon, so we had the opportunity to picnic by the pond in the garden of Monk’s House, with views stretching across the South Downs to Firle Beacon, listen to some readings of the novel, delivered by one of the venue’s friendly, knowledgeable volunteers, and undertake some of our own further explorations of Woolf’s writing, taking in entries from her diary, personal letters relating to her writing process and inspiration and further extracts from Mrs Dalloway, A Room of One’s Own, and the short story ‘Mrs Dalloway in Bond Street’.
We then ventured into Lewes itself, to explore the gallery, which highlighted further aspects of the reciprocal creative relationship that existed between Woolf and Bell and allowed an insight into the artistic, social and historical conditions surrounding the publication of Mrs Dalloway. Everyone agreed that it was a lovely way to spend such an idyllic afternoon and reluctantly tore ourselves away to make the journey back to school.
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