Exploring Shakespeare’s World

The beginning of this week saw 10 Lower Sixth pupils venture to Stratford-Upon-Avon to immerse themselves in Shakespeare’s world. Starting with a visit to ‘The Play’s the Thing’ exhibition, the group learned about the history of the RSC, some of its iconic productions and even gained some production tips and tricks! Who knew lychees could be used for a gruesome stage illusion as well as a fruity snack! The group also enjoyed trying on costumes, performing opposite a digital scene partner and admiring props and costumes from shows dating back to the 70s.

Next was a workshop on King Lear led by a practitioner from the RSC. The group whizzed through the play and explored key scenes and characters, impressing their workshop leader who said it was “a pleasure working with proper actors and not just students.” The majority of the group are studying Drama A-Level and will be diving into their exploration of King Lear after the half-term, so this was an excellent opportunity for them to gain insight and experience ahead of their study.

The first day concluded in the RSC’s main theatre where we saw David Evan’s all male production of As You Like It. With our own production on the horizon, we were excited to see this interpretation and to possibly borrow a few ideas…! Knowing that the cast was being led by Jonathan Groff alongside other amazing actors such as Gary Wilmott and Fisayo Akinade, we knew we’d be in for a treat, but I think we were all blown away by just how amazing the production was. Filled with joy, whimsy and some phenomenal Welsh singing, we were fully transported into the Forest of Arden and didn’t want to leave when the curtain fell. An amazing end to our first day in the home of the Bard.

Day two started with a backstage tour of the RSC, which gave us a fascinating insight into the building’s history as well as it’s practical workings on a day to day basis. We were particularly excited to walk the corridors of the Running Wardrobe department where costumes from last night’s production were hanging up and where we learnt all about the mammoth task of preparing and running costume tracks for the show. I was particularly coveting the Ozone machine which cleans the costumes in 50 minutes using molecular oxidation as its method; no water, no soap, no fuss! I did wonder if we could get one for the green room…

We then wondered through Stratford town to get to Shakespeare’s birthplace. This is where we ended our Shakespearean adventure, learning about Shakespeare’s origins and the world he inhabited. It was a fascinating insight into where and how The Bard grew up, and we left understanding a lot more about the great writer and the people who surrounded him.

As players on Shakespeare’s world stage, we had a fantastic time exploring the man and his work in Stratford-Upon-Avon, and we were all a little sad to leave the town and return to our usual routines. As we made our way back to Caterham, leaving the river Avon and the RSC’s exciting theatrical world behind for the line of traffic on Harestone Valley

Road, we couldn’t help but feel a little like the “whining school boy” mentioned in Jaques seven ages of man speech from As You Like it, “creeping like snail, unwillingly to school.”