It takes place over an eight-hour time span, covers the life of a young Devon boy, and addresses some of life’s most serious questions. Private Peaceful was College’s Year 9 production, running for four performances in June, two different casts performing the drama which commemorates World War 1. Director Chris Cheesman was blown away with the talent that presented as Year 9 boys queued up to be part of the action. In the end she settled on two casts involving 27 boys, plus a committed backstage crew who were mentored by Tristyn Stark and some of College’s experienced senior drama practitioners. In addition, Year 12 Materials Technology students, under Gavin Love’s direction, built a standout machine gun for the set. Gas masks and tin helmets were also obtained, and a student teacher on site at the time used his military background to help the boys with weapons training and marching. After seven weeks of rehearsals Private Peaceful hit the boards, a familiar story to many primary and intermediate age students who had studied the play in their classrooms. British author and playwright Sir Michael Morpurgo of War Horse
fame, and Children’s Laureate from 2003–2005, crafted a compelling story in Private Peaceful , about a young man from Iddesleigh, Devon, who finds himself in the muddy trenches of Flanders. Over the course of an evening he reminisces about his life – his adventures, his parents, his
childhood, his loves, and the injustices of war that have brought him to the front line. The role of the lead character, Tommo, was shared by four actors – the first playing him as a child, the second as a 12-year-old, the third as a 16-year-old, and the fourth as an adult/narrator. These parts
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