During the week of the 1st June, select students for years 8 and 9 had the unique experience of working alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company in their ‘Play for the Nation: A Midsummer Night’s Dream.’ Working in conjunction with The Lyric Theatre, Belfast, the boys received first hand training in singing, acting and dancing from a host of industry professionals who visited from Stratford upon Avon. For six months the boys worked and practised tirelessly for what was undoubtedly a once in a lifetime opportunity.
As performance week approached and the stage of the Grand Opera House was set, nerves and excitement began to build. Together as Titania’s ‘fairy train’ the boys hovered around the stage, in amongst some well-known actors, singing their lullaby sweetly and delivering the final lines of dialogue with gusto to a rapt audience. Joshua Daykin (8A) who performed as one of the creatures of the forest said: “The RSC project was a very exciting opportunity for me as it gave me the experience of performing on a professional stage. I have made so many new friends from different classes and would definitely recommend it.”
As the curtain closed for the final time on the Saturday performance, the boys all agreed that it was an experience that they would never forget and as we think ahead to next year it’s difficult not to consider what lies ahead for our budding actors.