By Ricky, Editor-in-chief
Dartford Grammar School is involved in the Shakespeare Schools’ Festival each year, creating a dynamic abridged performance of a Shakespeare play and allowing cast members to get an insight into the world of directing and putting on a performance. This year, we will be performing Twelfth Night on Thursday 10 November.
This year there are 17 pupils in our team including 15 cast members, 1 Marketing Coordinator and 1 Lighting and Sound Technician.
“I believe it is inspiring as it motivates me to continue acting and lets me watch other performances while also performing myself” said Cameron Telfer, a cast member who portrays Valentine.
Twelfth Night is a comedy about the twins Viola and Sebastian. They are soon separated in a shipwreck. Viola survives and comes ashore with the aid of a captain. She loses communication with her twin brother, Sebastian, who she believes to have drowned at the time of the shipwreck. She disguised herself as a youthful man, named Cesario, and the captain helped her find employment in the service of Duke Orsino. Orsino is quickly convinced that he is in love with Olivia, which since her brother and father have recently died, has refused to be in the company of men until seven years had passed. Duke Orsino uses Cesario (Viola in disguise) to show his love to Olivia, but Olivia falls in love with Cesario, as she does not realise that Cesario is actually a woman in disguise. We meet other characters who subsequently fall in love with other characters, creating a love triangle.
Rehearsals are on every week and there was a fierce auditioning process. The performance on 10 November also includes work from other schools with other Shakespeare productions, some of which have been previewed to the cast in cast workshops. Tickets can be purchased from the Mick Jagger Centre box office.
Liz Hume-Dawson, an actress portraying ‘Miss Andress’ from children’s BAFTA nominated programme,’ 4 O’Clock Club’ told us “A few years ago I worked for the Shakespeare School’s Festival in Yorkshire and Lancashire. It was very inspirational and the highlight was going to London to see the various schools perform. I love Shakespeare and my two favourites are Macbeth and Midsummer Night’s Dream. I love that you can interpret the text in so many different ways!”
“The SSF provides students with a unique opportunity to engage with Shakespeare on a smaller scale. The plays are stripped back to their essential components and are easily accessible for all ages. This helps to remind students about just why these plays have stood the test of time, with their universal themes and characters.” said Mr Stevens, Director.