On Friday 16 October, pupils from Years 11 and 13, accompanied by teachers Mr Chris Alcock and Mr Duncan Miller, set off to the Oxford Playhouse to see Shakespeare’s The Tempest performed. The traffic was forgiving as the 26 seater coach navigated its way around the Oxford ring road. The trip was arranged in order to give pupils a greater understanding of Shakespeare in performance, as they start to study the Bard’s plays during lessons.
Upon arrival at the theatre, pupils joined the audience and took their seats, which were brilliantly placed at the front right of the audience. The students were initially mesmerised by the sight of a washing machine in the middle of the stage. Confusion was the reigning emotion until the washing powder emerged (Ariel, of course) and the joke was understood. A quick spin, and the pupils were flung into the full face of the storm.
Shipwrecks, washing lines and tyrannical Prospero came together to expertly recount Shakespeare’s colonial swan-song. The sound effects were enchanting, and the acting engaging; of particular note were the performances of Miranda and Ariel, which had the students captivated. Although the stage strongly resembled a teenager’s bedroom, with piles of clothes lying hither and thither, Phelim McDermott’s vision for the play, centred around the idea of garments and souls being cleansed in the storm, worked exceptionally well.
Post-play discussions certainly suggested that the students had taken a lot from the show, with ideas about performance, interpretation and interval snacks all causing much debate. The play was incredibly useful for the GCSE and A Level students, who study Shakespeare during lessons. Mr Miller commented that ‘reading a play and actually seeing it live onstage are two very different things, and I hope that seeing Shakespeare’s words brought to life has given pupils a new level of understanding. Getting caught up in the language is inevitable, so taking a step back from that and seeing the action before you is invaluable in studying a play.’
