A Celebration of Storytelling, Perseverance and Self Expression

Despite the stifling heat, last week’s Orchard Theatre Festival was a triumph, although we perhaps should have renamed it the Humphreys Theatre Festival for this year! Pupils from across the school took part in several scenes and sketches on the Wednesday and Friday nights, whilst on the Thursday some of our Drama scholars impressed in their telling of Euripides’ Bakkhai.

Wednesday’s programme had an eclectic mix of Shakespeare, drama, comedy and dance. From a comic pairing in a ‘A Comedy of Errors’ to a more intense look at a mother and daughter’s relationship in ‘Things I Know to be True’, each performance was delivered with commitment and energy, impressive in the soaring temperatures. We were also treated to a beautiful dance duet and a piece written by one of our very own presenters, where a group of hapless performers attempted to stage Shakespeare’s ‘Much Ado About Nothing’. In the capable hands of Rosie and Lyla, the evening flew by with sounds of laughter and applause ringing throughout the Humphreys Theatre.

Then, on Thursday, scholars took to the stage telling the story of the cult of Dionysos and the tragic consequences of going against a god. With Bacchic revelry at its core, it felt almost inevitable to set it in the hedonistic world of a 90s rave. The cast rose to the occasion with flair, delivering complicated dance numbers, epic monologues and characters we both rooted for and feared. The company blew their audience away with not only the maturity of their storytelling, but their ability to fully engage their audience in this ancient tale. Highest praise of the night was from a third-year audience member who said, “I didn’t think I’d get it, but I actually understood the whole thing!” That is no small feat when the story is thousands of years old…!

And finally, Friday closed the festival with another round of outstanding performances, culminating in the annual Teacher’s foray onto the stage. A highlight of the evening was seeing the Third Year TIE company performing their piece ‘Self Belief: A Quest’ which saw a group of children learning to accept their flaws and the challenges that come with growing up. Despite being made for 8 and 9 year olds in local primary schools, the slightly older audience were enthralled by the exuberant storytelling and wonderfully engaging characters. Other comedies including a take on the French revolution and a snippet from ‘Mean Girls’ all set the scene for the ridiculous performance that ended the evening; the teachers clowning sketch. Sharing an ‘insight’ into teaching at Caterham, colleagues from various departments revealed hidden rivalries, unrequited romances and an inability to use glue… Ending with the slightly premature anthem of ‘Schools out for Summer’, everyone left with a smile on their face. Once again the Orchard Theatre Festival brought out the creativity, perseverance, self-expression and sheer brilliance of our pupils, and we can’t wait to do it all again next year!