Past Productions Academic
A2 Plays June 2009
Her Father’s Daughter An A2 adaptation of 'Hedda Gabler'
Our adaptation of Ibsen's "Hedda Gabler" used physical theatre to explore the extreme emotion hidden beneath the social correctness of 19th century society and was intended to highlight the power struggle within the social hierarchy. The charmingly fatal Hedda, played with appropriate emotional intensity by Rosie Le Page, enters into a dangerous love triangle with her academic Husband Jorgen, played by Patrick Howe, and the womanising Judge Brack, expertly played by Archie Brown. The caring Mrs Elvstead, played by Briony Deuchar, tries to save the alcoholic Ejlert Lovborg from both himself and Hedda's power hungry traps. However, this is not enough and Lovborg succumbs to Hedda's wiles. He goes back to drinking and eventually shoots himself in a fatal accident. Hedda, upon finding out that Brack plans to blackmail her with the knowledge that it was her pistol that caused Loveborg’s death, then takes her own life. Seth Richards provided us with some striking lighting.
This was our last production at Blundell's and proved one of the most challenging. With Miss Baddeley's guidance, we thoroughly enjoyed exploring the relationships between the characters and the messages within the piece, and experimenting with ways to give these exciting theatrical form. We all felt that we made a success of a difficult task and ended our drama careers at Blundell’s on a high.
Shell-shock An A2 interpretation of 'Woyzeck'
Originally set in 1837 this play explores the forces on one man’s life and how they cause his descent into madness.
For our A2 performance, which we called 'Shell Shock', we brought the play forward into the 1920's Prussia, post World War I, where many people in Eastern Europe were living in poverty and dealing with the after effects of the war.
Through our production we explore the oppressed and claustrophobic life of a soldier; Franz Woyzeck, crushed by society and the issues which plague his being: madness, deceit, adultery and murder.
On first reading this play we felt, as a group, shocked, disturbed and confused. When creating 'Shell Shock' we wanted to effectively portray the storyline whilst using elements of dance, physical theatre and circus performance. Having received feedback after the performance felt we really has captured the emotional darkness of the piece in a visually exciting performance.
Overall, we were pleased with the end performance as we felt we managed to get everything out of it that was possible. Our group worked well together with plenty of productive ideas and suggestions that helped to move the play forward. We all really enjoyed the process as it contained aspects that many of us had not explored before, including circus performance and being set 'in the round'.
AS Play June 2009
The Trial An edited version of Steven Berkoff's play, for AS
This year’s AS performance was an edited version of Berkoff's "The Trial". Steven Berkoff's adaptation of Kafka's novel focuses on the fate of the protagonist, Joseph K, played by Guy Potter, as he struggles against the nameless forces of 'the state' that accuses him. Given the political nature of the play's message I chose to set the piece in communist Russia in the 1930's.
The actors swapped roles throughout the play from being the anonymous figures of the chorus to defined individual characters. This was very demanding as the cast was on stage all the time. The acting style pushes physicality to an extreme and sometimes to comic effect; as with Huld, played by Julian Strong, who captured, with the help of a fat suit, the hugely over-weight lawyer obsessed with eating. Titorelli, played brilliantly by Jeremy Manning, was a hightened characterisation of a stereotypical Italian and he provided the audience with some much needed comic relief. Against this background of often grotesque characters Joseph K appears normal and ordinary, and Guy Potter managed to capture the audience's sympathy as he struggled with his fate.
The talented young cast was supported by a brilliant sound design by Conor Purcell, lighting by Jake Cushway and costume by Harriet Goody. The group worked really well together and in the words of one audience member, "produced a performance that entranced the audience with the imagination, movement, pace and talent on show." Very well done to Julie Gordon, Abbie Voysey, Oscar Weedon, Mitchell Benellick et al; you were great to work with.
GCSE Plays June 2009
The examination performances for GCSE were challenging and varied. "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" proved to be an energetic and entertaining performance with Indiana Murphy as the suitably petulant and fiery Hermia and Kristiane Wheeler as the moapsing love-lorn Helena. The boys were equally strong with Christian Gare bringing humour and energy to the role of Lysander and John Steer Fowler being suitably indignant. Jack Browne and Ellen Howe were the Charismatic Oberon and playful Puck.
Edward Bond’s "Tuesday" was the challenging text that Tessa Lomas, Louis Roscoe and Ryan McMaster performed. After an arduous rehearsal process they managed to capture the tension and violence in this dark piece of theatre. 
Louis conveyed the vulnerability of his character and Ryan eventually proved a menacing presence as the aggressive father while Tessa had to move from compliancy to rebellion in the space of just 15 minutes. Real tensions in the group were eventually transformed into gripping drama.
"My Mother Said I Never Should" demanded that the actors moved back and forwards between symbolism and realism while exploring the complexity of mother/daughter relationships. Alicia Fotheringham, India Harvey, Jessica Mudge and Jorjia Fletcher worked very successfully together to produce a really sensitive and mature performance that made us believe in the poignancy of a child’s emotions and struggles and tensions between different generations. After a shaky start to the rehearsal process this became an opportunity for all involved to refine and develop their acting talents and give the audience some genuinely moving dramatic moments.
A2 Plays March 2009
Blundell's drama reached a new standard in this year's A2 performances, with two striking devised pieces.
Love Me, Love Me Not
Studying the ideas of isolation and loneliness "Love Me, Love Me Not" portrayed the issues arising from Western Cultures increasing urbanisation and the dangers of the increasing use of internet dating and chat rooms. A large part of this play's charm was the actors' ability to infuse comedic elements into such a serious topic.
Life Without Hope
Life Without Hope
"Life Without Hope" introduced Blundell's to a whole new genre of theatre, the promenade performance. This involved the audience following the actors to different venues within Ondaatje, all representing a different moment in time. This play explored the British and American penal systems when it comes to knife crime among teenagers, ending with a session of rhetorical questions provoking the audience to really think about what they had seen.
A2 Improvised Plays Dec 2008
With Western cultures at their highest rates ever and still growing, it is easy for people to get left behind and eventually become isolated from their friends and family. This can lead to depression, loneliness and the break down of normal social structures. This Christmas, who will you be spending time with?
