It was 1:15 on our school patio and we, the IB Theatre and Performance students, were all packed up and heading for the airport. Along with Ms. Mór and Ms Weiner, up in the air we went towards Stratford upon Avon to a three-day theatre course. On Wednesday we arrived quite late, so we only had time to check-in and have dinner at an Italian restaurant (the best meal I had on our stay). We headed back to the hotel and tried to get some sleep, a near impossible mission due to our over-excited/nervous state of mind. There was one question we couldn’t stop thinking about: what if they are much better than us? We were aware that thirteen other schools were going to be involved in the workshops and we were quite afraid of our “competition’s” quality.
In the morning we had breakfast at the hotel and we were able to make visual contact with a few colleagues that were going to work with us. We left the hotel and walked to the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, were we were expected. We all gathered in the Queen Elizabeth Room and were split into different ensembles. I was lucky enough to have a fellow classmate from back home in my group, but other people weren’t so lucky. We were assigned to different teachers, and I was surprised to see that Mr. Johnston, a former St. Julian’s Drama teacher, was going to be my ensemble leader. We started out by doing a series of games and activities to get better acquainted with the people we didn’t know. We also spoke about different ways of journaling, memorizing text and how to act as an ensemble. On our lunch break, even though I was aware that England isn’t a gastronomical hot spot, I decided to have myself a pasty and was quite surprised it actually tasted good. We worked some more on using silences and pauses (this time with a different teacher) and acted out a brief scene in duos. After dinner, we went to see “The Tempest” at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. The play had great moments and a few good comic reliefs, but overall it was a bit bellow expectation.
On Friday, we had a very busy workday. We worked on our voice and were taught how to control our projection and volume on stage. We later worked on silhouettes and shadows, focusing mainly on how a still image can tell a story. We also had a workshop that focused on script writing (with screenwriter Ian Pike) where we learned to avoid clichés, have a strong beginning and theme, and cutting dialogue in scenes. After a dinner of fish and chips, we went to see “A Tender Thing” at the Swan Theatre. This play, unlike The Tempest, had really amazing performances and a compelling story that made 50% of the audience shed a couple of tears by the end. Saturday arrived and we still had quite a few things to get through. We were taught how to do a convincing robot and were given a few tips on miming. We did one last exercise on dividing and structuring a scene, but the farewell eventually came. We all had a terrific time, made new friends from around the globe, and were given fantastic advice on theatre and performing arts. We all waved goodbye from our respective buses, and we were off to the airport. As to whether or not we want to go back next year, I’ll answer with another question: Is the Bard from Avon?
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