News
VP Shakespeare Society debuts at the Marlowe
On Monday 24 June Mrs Hitch and Mrs Hare took the thirteen members of Valley Park Shakespeare Society to the Marlowe theatre in Canterbury for their debut performance as part of the RSC Associate Schools performance of Hamlet: Something Rotten.
Starring alongside eleven schools from across Kent on the main stage was a major undertaking and they excelled in their roles, receiving praise for their confidence and command of the language.
The students were an absolute credit to the school throughout the long day, which involved a full technical rehearsal, dress run and lots of running up and down stairs!
The cast - ranging from students in year seven to year ten - have formed firm friendships and bonded through their love of performance. This trust and confidence in each other was evident in their emotional and creative interpretation. They have all excelled in their understanding of Shakespearian language, which will benefit them greatly in their studies of Shakespeare in English, but also in their approach to challenging tasks, showing resilience and willingness to expand their learning.
It was an absolute highlight for the cast to leave the theatre to whoops and cheers and cries of ‘We Are Valley Park!’ lead by Mrs Austin, Mrs Knight and Miss Firth with the parents who were able to come and watch. We were all so incredibly proud of the students.
This was our first year in the RSC Associate Schools Programme and it has bought so many benefits in providing staff and students with opportunities to take part in workshops to explore creative delivery of Shakespeare which can be expanded to working with any texts and developing ensemble performance and creative interpretations.
I am very much looking forward to seeing what we are able to achieve next year when this exciting partnership continues. Any students who are interested in joining Shakespeare Society in September we meet on Wednesdays after school in Studio 3.
