Causing a ‘Ruckus in the Garden’ for all the right reasons!
This week saw the brilliant and very funny performance by Lower School Drama students of Ruckus in the Garden by David Farr. Here, cast member Anna C. tells us more about the performance:
"In the play Ruckus in the Garden, I performed the role of Stanley, a troubled teenager from Riverdale Comprehensive, whose goal is to bring peace to the world following the tragic death of his brother in a brawl outside a night club. After arriving at the stately home gardens of Homesleigh on a school trip, he discovers with dismay that St Nectan's selective secondary school is also there and so a 'ruckus' is inevitable. Therefore, he soon decides that, rather than fight like the rest of school, he will 'defy the warring between the schools' by performing a ceremony of peace, love and harmony - which naturally results in being attacked by both schools!
I really admire Stanley because, although he knew he would be hated for wanting peace, he did it anyway, which taught us all to do what we think is right rather than just following the crowd. Also, his resilience after failure was outstanding and I felt that his determination to make peace in his brother's name was really admirable.
The performance was amazing! During the show, it was really exhilarating making the character come alive for the audience and introducing them to the story, which the cast all loved. Also, when I slipped up on a few lines, it was great to be able to rely on my fellow cast members to help me out without the audience noticing. In addition, during the performance in the garden, I felt very professional continuing despite the typically British downpour! It was such a great feeling at the end of the show when the audience were applauding and we knew that all our hard work in rehearsals had paid off - I was really happy and relieved!
Ruckus has definitely made me more confident projecting my voice and speaking in front of a lot of people as well as learning lines, all of which I wasn't sure about before - I would definitely recommend being involved in Drama to others! Although I am not doing Drama next year for GCSE, I am definitely interested in being in other performances and believe that the confidence it has given me will benefit me in my other subjects and future career."
Well done to our Head of Drama Ms Esther Roberts on yet another stellar performance. Ms Roberts was quite rightly impressed with the cast and crew; the girls had worked incredibly hard to develop their characters, finding the flaws, vulnerability and nuances of each one, which helped create a superb dynamic on stage. It was delightful to hear the raw of laughter from the audience and for the girls to control the delivery of the lines and work with comic-timing live on stage with such finesse.
Ms Roberts commented on the cast members who played male roles: “We often get a lot of feedback about how convincing and believable they are in our shows. This does not come easily. The girls work tremendously hard to fight against their female instincts and spend a lot of the rehearsal process with me saying things like ‘you’re standing on one hip!’ or, ‘lower your register’ and ‘sort out your girly hands!’ It takes a very strong actress to convincingly portray a male role and maintain this – they are not naturally more masculine, as some unknowingly assume, they are just very skilled actresses!
Well done too to the cupids, who not only framed the action with poise and perfection but looked amazing too. These girls deserve a special mention and, thanks also go to our Year 10 hair stylist Dana N. for her work and creativity in ensuring the cupids looked the part, and also to the rest of our hair and make-up teams." All-in-all another triumph for the Drama team!