A Drum, A Drum, Macbeth Doth Come!
Pupils from Form VII, along with a few members of the last drama workshop, were fortunate enough to participate in Shakespeare Schools Festival at Theatr Colwyn this half term. Under the guidance of actor Simon Holland Roberts, the pupils partook in a workshop designed to boost confidence and articulacy as well as imparting skills such as teamwork and critical thinking in preparing and performing their chosen play, ‘Macbeth’. In addition to this, they learnt more about Shakespeare’s language, themes and characters. This hard work culminated in an absolutely fantastic performance last Friday evening. At the end of the performance, Simon Holland Roberts gave an appraisal to both schools involved and commended Fairholme pupils on how well they had worked together and how clearly they had delivered the story of ‘Macbeth’ – praise indeed from one who has performed Shakespeare in many countries around the world!
We were delighted to hear later that the group was awarded a Distinction in the Grade 2 Trinity College ‘Plays in Production’ certification. The examiner made some fantastic comments on the full range of skills including group dynamic, individual performances, staging, design and technical elements, summed up in his conclusion — ‘The school managed to tell the story of Macbeth in a fluent and engaging manner to the audience. The cues were energetically realised and the whole cast showed some excellent confidence.’ Well done, once again, to all those who took part.
