The Record - Gordonstoun

performing arts updateDramaDrama continues to be a busy and vibrant departmentwithin the school and with lots going on up at theOgstoun Theatre from early in the morning until longinto the night.Last term saw Theatre trips to both Edinburgh andGlasgow. Year 13 students enjoyed a dark andmysterious production of Shakespeare’s comedy AMidsummer Night’s Dream at the Cottiers Theatre aspart of their A-Level course work and GCSE Studentsvisited the Edinburgh Dungeons, took a ghost tourof the Vaults beneath the city and then saw a superbproduction of J B Priestley’s Time and the Conways atThe Lyceum.In March our Year 12 students presented their AS grouppractical work, examination pieces for which the studentswere marked on their acting. Mrs Parker directed BlueRemembered Hills by Dennis Potter and Find Me byOlwen Wymark while Mr Hoskins directed The Trial bySteven Berkoff and Lord of the Flies by William Golding.Students and staff put an enormous amount of work intothe plays and the productions were extremely successful.The work was performed to full house audiences ofparents, guests and students over two nights at theOgstoun Theatre.The Year 13 students held a presentation evening toshowcase some of their performance work. The first partof the evening was dedicated to the play Woyzeck byGeorg Büchner, with extracts performed to an invitedaudience, and during the second part of the eveninga much larger number of students arrived, filling thetheatre, to see a condensed production of A MidsummerNight’s Dream, presented as it might have been seen atThe Globe Theatre in the 16th and 17th Century.The Year 11 students presented their five excellentpieces of exam work to a packed house at Ogstoun andfollowed this by presenting their work to the examinerthe next day. The plays were all based on the stimulus‘Theatre should make the audience watch and think’and the students were certainly successful in doing thiswith their devised work. Subject matter chosen by thestudents included selective mutism, the effects of mercuryon factory workers in the 19th Century, bullying andrevenge, what happens when people go missing and thestory of Guy Fawkes.All in all, it’s been a fantastic year of Drama and we’veall enjoyed the great opportunities we’ve had. It’s beenwonderful working together, creating, developing,shaping and performing such fantastic pieces of theatre.DanceThroughout the year the Dance Department has takenpart in a variety of trips, activities and shows but thehighlight of the year has to be the Dance Company’samazing tour to South Africa along with the MusicDepartment at the beginning of February. It is anexperience the students will not forget in a hurry,especially having the opportunity to share work with TheHappy Feet Dance Company in the Langa Township inCape Town.Shortly after our return from South Africa the dancecompany was invited to perform in a National Showcaseof Youth Dance at the MacRobert Centre, Stirling. Thiswas a prestigious event for the dancers; they performeda piece choreographed by student Jolley Gosnold whichreceived a fantastic response.