A vivid year of drama defined by risk-taking, reinvention, and ensemble excellence
McQueen, Tristan Sevanot Davis and Zac Shaw, enthralled and moved us with some visually beautiful set pieces including snow angels in the wintry tundra to evoke childhood innocence, slow-motion slaughter in the trenches and utterly enchanting puppetry to suggest vulnerability and hope. Their transformation use of walking sticks to become rifles and umbrellas and door furniture enhanced their storytelling and truly transported us. Adventure, Quest AND Escape Year 10 devised drama Our GCSE Drama 2026 cohort wrapped up the academic programme this year with six original pieces, all under the umbrella theme of Adventure, Quest and Escape. The students seized this stim- ulus and took us on a thrilling ride. Their skilled use of dramatic realism, verbatim direct address, as well as daring physical theatre and their devel- oping language of visual storytelling, led to an in- triguing, provocative and witty showcase. No Land for Migrants explored the harrowing yet hopeful journey of migrants. The performers descended into a world of the unknown, using stylised choreography and ensemble sequences to depict the struggles of displacement, risk, re- silience, and the relentless pursuit of a better life. Frank Adom, Oliver Grinnell, Caspian Holmes, Ollie Kelly, Isaac Shaylor and Freddie Tapp’s investment in their piece was evident; their fluid staging and raw, hard-hitting dialogue, challenging perceptions of belonging, was very powerful. Fuelled by the clip of the lifeboat from ZooNation’s Message in a Bottle, The Chorus of the Dispossessed told the story of those without a home. It aimed to echo and reflect timeless and salient global tropes, including displacement, immigration and survival. Rufus Barsham Rolfe, Sasha Benn, Stephanos Desta, Max Waller and Jack Willoughby gave us a poignant and provocative tale of humanity and hope. Inspired by the poem Home by Warsan Shire, which explores the global refugee crisis and the stories of displaced peoples, Crossing Continents was a polemical piece focusing on themes of exile,
survival, and the search for hope. Using verbatim storytelling, the group incorporated real-life accounts of migration, weaving them into the performance to give an authentic voice to those forced to flee their homes. Albert Challacombe, Felix Maxwell, Jonah Norris, Louis Powell-Sykes and James White skilfully engaged the audience in a reflection on the political and personal impacts of migration. Wreckage saw five individuals fight for survival after a catastrophic plane crash left them stranded in a merciless wilderness. Developed form an initial stimulus of Enid Blyton’s Famous Five novels, this gripping physical theatre piece merged naturalistic scenes of male camaraderie with brutal psychological tension. Multi- functional props set the scene for debris, shelter and an underground world of caves. Dark humour and fragmented dialogue revealed the boys’ desperation, while stylised movement sequences depicted their battle against hunger, weather, and each other. Luke Arnold-Naidin, Freddie Brown, Sam Cowell, Kaspar Steyn, and Elliot Woodgate gave us a raw, unsettling examination of human nature under pressure. Oliver Crangle, Carlo Chiappini, Tomas Gallegillo, James Harris, George Gooderham and Kush Mukerj were also inspired by lifeboat sequence in ZooNation’s dance theatre piece — and with their drama, The Price of Passage, the ensemble aimed to hold the mirror up to nature by putting the universal story of flight and peril in the spotlight. They deftly conjured expressionistic physical sequence to hauntingly evoke the perilous journeys in search of survival. The Fabulous Five was a whimsical pastiche of childhood adventure stories, clearly inspired by the capers of old-school heroes like the Famous Five. Albert Godfrey, Joshua Kirkland Kidd, James Pane, Arun Slatter and James Weir, clad in sweater vests, long socks, shorts, and plimsolls, set off on a treasure hunt they believe will lead them to untold riches. Plundering the tropes of exciting mysteries, resourcefulness, and solving puzzles, their mission began with the discovery of an old tattered treasure map suspended in midair. ◎
Chance AND Pax A Level Drama & Theatre: A Matter of Chance and Pax Bringing the EAT into the summer season with a sprinkle of magical realism, Emma Rice’s distinctive style of playful, irreverent ensemble storytelling fuelled two creative adaptations. Our Year 12 put down their marker with their visually stunning and thrilling performance work. Students channelled tropes associated with Rice’s theatre practice and were fired up by a visit to her production of The Buddha of Suburbia at The Barbican as well as recent productions of Blue Beard at the Battersea Arts Centre and her National Theatre production of Wuthering Heights . Year 12 took their lead from Rice and breathed new life into well-known fables. The Matter of Chance company heralded their arrival with the sound of train whistles as they carolled us from the foyer into the theatre, checking our tickets for the Berlin–Paris Express. Bedecked in colourful
tunics, they echoed the glamour of the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express. Nabokov’s A Matter of Chance hones in on his fascination with the interplay between fantasy and reality, intertwined with an inner landscape of despair. The quartet of Luca Dormer, Orson Matthews, Josh Morgan and James Pinon Williams created a slick, action-packed evocation of the world as the train hurtled through the snowy landscape. This was a quartet working in total synergy as they multi- roled through passengers and porters, memory and dreams, and the real and the fantastical to create a heart-in-the-mouth, thrilling piece. The Pax company charmed us from the downbeat with their conscious theatricality — inviting us into their world. The fable is a heart-wrenching tale about the relationship between a boy and his fox. When war strikes, Peter’s father goes to war and Peter is left at his grandfather’s house. He is distraught to be apart from Pax who remains in the wild. Featuring a non-linear narrative with flashbacks, the quartet of Zachy Fleming, Seven
Adventure Quest Escape – Year 10
This was a quartet working in total synergy as they multi-roled through passengers and porters, memory and dreams
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