CO-EDUCATION THE FUTURE IS - Jules Akel

THEFROZENDEEPTOThe Royal Mile at Festivaltime is the veryhub of the EdinburghFringe. To walk alongit and to witness the maelstromof fire-juggling, unicyclists, costumedtableaux, improvised skits,bagpipes, percussive dustbins andleaflets, encapsulates the atmospherethat makes up the five-weekexperience. It is intense, diverse,exhausting, rapid, ever-so-slightlyludicrous and utterly compelling.The touring theatre productioncompany of Wellington Collegewas at the Edinburgh Festival forthe fourth time in 2005. Theyperformed The Frozen Deep, takenfrom a short story by Wilkie Collins,and especially adapted forIronduke’s unique physical theatrestyle of storytelling. The playfocuses on two men, in love withthe same woman, marooned onthe same ice-floe as part of the illfatedFranklin Expedition to findthe North-West Passage.The cast had already endured anintense three weeks of preparationbefore arriving in Edinburgh.Once they were actually there,daily performances, in differentvenues, to a variety of critical audiencestook place. It is a gruellingschedule but one in which thereis much reward.Samuel Sedgman (O.W., T), amember of Ironduke summed upthe experience: “Edinburgh 2005was every bit as exciting as the yearbefore. It is unrelenting and tiringand anything short of professionalstandard is pounced upon by thenext hungry critic. Once past that,however, the feeling of taking acurtain call in one of the world’smost prestigious festivals is littleshort of euphoric”.Thirty-two pupils andfive adults made theirway to Russia for aneight day educationalvisit to St Petersburg and Moscow.It was a visual feast and everyonedelighted in seeing some of themost spectacular sights of a countrywhich is steeped in a fascinatingand complicated past.St Petersburg was first and itsnickname as the Venice of theNorth certainly rings true. It isa city that is divided by rivers andoVers spectacular views at almostevery point. The Peter and PaulFortress, which includes the Cathedralwhere the Romanovs areburied, gave everyone an insightinto the nature of Tsarism andindeed their final resting place.The Winter Palace provided atrue reflection of the opulenceof Tsarism and the distaste withwhich it was so obviously viewedin the years leading up to the Revolution.The Hermitage Museumis perhaps one of the finest ArtGalleries in the world; the sheerdepth of works from some of themost famous artists of all timewas a truly enlightening experience.The group also visited theYusupov Palace where Rasputinwas murdered and the CruiserAurora which started the OctoberRevolution of 1917.After the adventure of the overnighttrain to Moscow, everyonewas eagerly awaiting the delightsof the capital city. It certainlydid not disappoint. The hotelUkraine was one of seven buildingscommissioned by Stalin andcompleted after his death. It wasa magnificent sight and a pleasureto stay in a gothic style Hotel sodirectly associated with the glorificationof the Communist regime.There was an eerie silence amongstthe group after seeing the bodyof Lenin, still preserved in themausoleum on Red Square. StBasil’s Cathedral provides a strikingbackdrop to Red Square and itis diYcult to remove the image ofthe many military parades whichhave taken place there.The pupils were a credit to theCollege at all times and werealso fun to be with. It will haveadvanced their understanding ofRussian culture, and their ideologiesand characteristics which haveshaped the course of its history.The constant presence of the Mafiawas a reminder to all that the futurecourse of Russian History willnot always be a pleasant one.