Last week, Year 10 drama pupils took to the Skipwith Lawn for their grand performance evening. A crowd of boarders and staff turned out to support the five-strong cast of Finn Arbuckle, George Martin, Hugo Warner, Kerim Philliskirk and Jamal Springer-Lynch.
The play was based on how weakness is expressed in wars. Rather than focussing on a particular era, the storyline flipped between World War I and the Afghanistan War. The actors took on multiple roles to outline the vastly differing ways in which people are treated. The plot was at times very moving, as the boys depicted capital punishment and post-traumatic stress disorder.
The storyline focussed on three brothers in each war. In World War I, one brother refused to go ‘over the top’. This involved climbing over the parapet of their trenches and crossing ‘No Man’s Land’. All offenses in the war involved heavy losses of personnel, so many soldiers were reluctant to step up.
In Afghanistan, one of the soldiers shot his brother in the hand. He suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and was sent home as a result. In the end, he looked after his brother at home and helped him to recover.
Drama teacher Miss Jenny Unwin commented: "All five boys deserve credit for the way they tackled such a difficult plot. This bodes well for next year as the boys step up to Year 11 and undertake their GCSE examination pieces. They will be looking to follow in the footsteps of this year's cohort who achieved top band marks for their performance of Home."
