Romeo and Juliet review

Year 11 students were presented with the exciting opportunity to watch Romeo and Juliet performed at the Globe Theatre in London. The play, set in 2024, was a modern interpretation of Shakespeare’s romantic tragedy about two star-crossed lovers; including ominously dressed BMX bikers and leads romancing in joggers and puffer jackets. And lots of cell phones.

The production subverted expectations of a Eurocentric Shakespearean tragedy by featuring a diverse cast: Romeo was portrayed by the talented Hayden Mampasi; Juliet by Felixe Forde; and most surprisingly, gender-bent Benvolio and Friar Lawrence, brilliantly portrayed by Saroja Lily-Ratnavel and Marieme Diouf, respectively. Other honourable mentions include the stellar performances by actors playing Lord Capulet who left some of us quaking with his tremendous portrayal of a temperamental Capulet; Mercutio, with his animated, nimble movement across the wooden stage; and the Nurse (whose character was interpreted quite literally as an NHS nurse!) Students and staff were literally immersed in the play as the cast interacted with students and staff, leaving us smiling, gasping, and even blushing, as they winked and joked with us.

Music and set design were incredibly executed. Students were greeted with graffiti of words associated with Romeo and Juliet, such as ‘civil,’ ‘villain,’ ‘love’ and ‘hate,’ giving us an indication of the play’s underlying tone and aesthetic. The musicians that worked behind the scenes controlled the ambiance with their crashing cymbals and drums calling for celebration or tense anticipation. The dances and sequences were perfectly co-ordinated, and the audience particularly enjoyed Juliet’s eclectic hallucination of her dreaded wedding day.

The structure of the Globe Theatre and its features that replicate the original establishment allowed students to experience the play as ‘groundlings’: we stood for the entire duration of the 90-minute play; which, albeit quite tedious sometimes, allowed us to gain authentic insight into the lives of a contemporary Elizabethan audience and allowed us to put ourselves in their shoes.

Overall, I would say that the experience was incredible; it was a great privilege to see immense talent at work, blending boundaries of culture and time. The production helped us understand the themes of the play better by basing a 16^th century text in a more contemporary context.

But as Shakespeare so eloquently put it: “Parting is such sweet sorrow.”

Written by: A Mathew (Year 11 student)

On Monday 12 February, the Visual Art department took our A level Fine Art and Photography students and a number of Design Technology students to the Victoria and Albert Museum and Tate Britain in London.

The purpose of the visit was for students to gather contextual reference materials for either their Year 13 exam projects, or for Year 12 students' coursework projects. In their upcoming lessons, students will now begin to present their findings in their portfolios and develop ideas from this research.

All of the students were impeccably behaved and had a fantastic time during the trip, with an added treat of stopping at the motorway services on the return journey home for some fast food proving very popular!

We had a great day on Wednesday 15 November 2023, visiting two world-famous galleries off London’s Trafalgar Square.

Our Year 7 students, armed with a clipboard and a pencil, had the task of completing a treasure hunt, which involved finding facts about specific works of art in various rooms, navigating their way around the gallery. During drawing activities, groups of students were found absorbed, gazing at art works that they had only previously seen on screens, they were so excited to see familiar works such as Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, up close.

After a packed lunch and a trip to the gift shop, the afternoon was spent in the recently refurbished National Portrait Gallery. Beginning with a trip to the education rooms, we were greeted by a member of staff who chatted to everyone about portraits and the type of portraits that can be found in the gallery. The students had plenty of opportunities to get involved with the interactive displays, and found being turned into a portrait of a King or Queen very amusing.

A firm favourite in the Portrait Gallery was the exhibition Windrush: Portraits of a Pioneering Generation, which had been commission by King Charles.

A prize of chocolates was awarded to the person who created a great drawing (Congratulations Angelina) and house points were awarded to two students who completed the treasure hunt fully.

After an amazing day, we all got on the coach, which unfortunately hit one traffic jam after another. The students were amazing and behaved brilliantly after such a long journey home. We would like to pass on our thanks to the parents and guardians who patiently waited for our late return.

A group of 51 of our Year 12 students had a fantastic time away in Paris last week, discovering all the incredible history and culture the city has to offer!

The group enjoyed a picturesque river cruise down the River Seine, a visit to the palace of Versailles and the Pompidou Centre, along with its contemporary art gallery, as well as some free time spent soaking in the sights at the Champs-Élysées and Arc de Triomphe.

For the final day, students explored the Sacre Coeur and the Louvre, before heading home Sunday morning - we hope you've all had a great trip!