Zombies invade Pompeii at Latin play contest
On Thursday 27 May 14 Year 8 students took part in the 40th annual Ludi Scaenici Latin play contest at The Perse School. The girls had worked hard to learn their lines, perfect their Latin accents, and consider their gestures and acting for this year’s performance, entitled Zompeii. The play featured characters such as Caecilius, Metella and Quintus, whom the girls come to know from the Cambridge Latin Course in their first year studying Latin, and imagined the characters faced with a zombie invasion in Pompeii. The girls were highly praised by the judges for their clear diction, expressions of emotion and ability to deal with both comedy and horror, and noted our zombie cast members’ excellent use of physical acting. The backstage team also worked hard to create a Roman lararium (shrine to the household gods) and to convincingly dress and make up our Pompeians and zombies. Although our students didn’t win, they had an excellent time coming devising their performances and honing their Latin throughout the process.