Shiplake College News

Ahead of next week's production of My Fair Lady, we caught up with one of the stars of the show - James Lucking - who will be performing as the rude and inconsiderate Professor Henry Higgins! James is also one of our Joint Deputy Heads of College and has been with us at Shiplake since Year 7. 

How long have you been a pupil at Shiplake and what is your role? 

I have been at Shiplake for 7 years now as I joined back in 2018 in Year 7. I am Joint Deputy Head of College and also Deputy Head of Skipwith House.  

What are you studying at A-level and why? 

For A-level, I am studying drama, economics and geography as these are all subjects I really enjoy, and I want to develop a greater understanding in these areas. I love both acting on stage and performing, as well as writing essays in geography and economics.  

What have been your most memorable moments at Shiplake? 

My most memorable moment at Shiplake has to be the school productions, especially doing Joseph in 2022. I love being able to step onto stage and change how I act and perform every time I play a different character. Every time during school plays, there is a collective feeling and togetherness between the whole cast. I love how every year group is involved all the way from Year 7 to 13.  

The College production of 'My Fair Lady' is next week; how are you and the cast feeling ahead of the big day? 

As we get closer to the performance, the nerves and stress have started to kick in. As well as having to learn hundreds of lines, I have also been having to revise for my mock exams which means that time is short. I am excited to step onto stage next week though and to show everyone what we have been rehearsing in the last six months. I think everyone is ready and can’t wait to step back in time to 1912 London to meet Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle.  

What are some of the joys and challenges of performing on stage? 

I definitely get an adrenaline rush when I perform on stage. I find that it is a big achievement to stand in front of hundreds of people and be able to perform to them. I love having nerves before a performance and as the performance starts to go well, the nerves fade into happiness and relief. But definitely a challenge of performing is learning all the lines but luckily I have been able to develop a good technique to do this. Another thing is to never give up and to never take the easy option out because after the performance, there is a great feeling of success and passion from everyone in the cast.  

For you personally, how does this production differ to ones you've done in the past? 

This is an extremely different production to anything I have done in the past. I have gone from being a brother in Joseph, to being Humpty Dumpty in Alice Through the Looking Glass, to Sammy - a casual, relaxed and slightly slow-witted guy in The Wedding Singer - to Henry Higgins, who is rude, inconsiderate, and has no relationship to anyone’s feeling in My Fair Lady. Higgins is a difficult character to be, not only through the accent, but also with his nature.  

Yet, characterisation is not the only difference in this production; the music is extremely different. From two upbeat bands with drums and percussionists to a professional orchestra with violins and cellos, the songs have very deep meanings and make the characters’ natures come alive and so I found it easier to make Henry Higgins my character through the songs rather than the lines.  

What do you hope to do when you leave Shiplake in the summer? 

After I leave Shiplake during the summer, I want to be able to relax, enjoy the South Africa rugby tour, spend time with family and friends, and have a good time before going to university to study business management, hopefully at Exeter or Bristol. After that, I have no idea what I want to do, but maybe I will start a business or join a role in Formula One.  

What do you do in your free time? 

In my free time, I love to play and watch football. Every weekend, I play for Marlow Town as their goalkeeper and try my best to keep clean sheets and save the countless penalties my team gives away. I also have a season ticket at West Ham United, so I love going to the games, especially the European nights under lights. When I’m not watching or playing football, I am probably watching something about F1 and I am always talking to my dad about it, boring him senseless. Otherwise, I will be spending time with my girlfriend and family or on the Xbox.