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TRip to the RSC
Key Stage 3 trip to Stratford-upon-Avon
On Thursday 21 March 2019, our English Faculty took an enthusiastic bunch of Key Stage 3 Shakespeare fans to see an innovative and bold production of The Taming of the Shrew at the RSC in Stratford-upon-Avon. On top of Shakespeare's usual comedy confusion (with people aiming to trick others, sly characters looking for money or status and people pretending to be others) this version had many of the male characters turned into female characters and vice-versa.
This production was hilarious, fast paced, full of colour and music. We were entertained with a female 'Petruchio' trying to tame a male 'Katherine'. The outlandish actions of Petruchio heightened the audience's reaction and certainly pushed us to consider how each gender treats one another. Our pupils were thrilled, laughing heartily and entertained throughout.
"I loved the way they played around with the genders - it made it really interesting. Also it was great to see actors with various disabilities on stage." Caitlyn (Year 9)
"It was fantastic to see how much our pupils enjoyed the play - the physical and verbal humour was really engaging for them. The pupils behaved excellently throughout; which was a source of pride and satisfaction for us!" Mr Lay, Assistant Head of English
Shakespeare is a central part of the curriculum at Cirencester Deer Park School. In Year 7, pupils study A Midsummer Night’s Dream. They have the chance to play a quarrelling lover, a Fairy King, or a member of the Mechanicals. The pupils also get the chance to experiment with set design and staging techniques. In Year 8, they move onto a Much Ado About Nothing, a tale of dastardly deeds surrounding the supervillain Don John, who constantly meddles in the affairs of the romantic couple Hero and Claudio. In Year 9, they read about the ultimate teenage rebellion in Romeo and Juliet, exploring contextual links and alternative interpretation.
Our English Faculty is eagerly anticipating our annual celebrations of Shakespeare's birthday in April.
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