St Edward's 150 Years - by Nicola Hunter

St Edward’s: 150 Years

Chapter 5 / Doorways and Gateways

Left: Into The Woods , 2012, whole cast. Below left: Katrina Eden teaching. Below middle: Romeo and Juliet , 2013, Benvolio played by Theo Smith. Below right: AS Drama Exam – Hymns by Chris O’Connell performed by David Stone, Charlie Christie, Marcus Chew and George Symington, Spring 2011.

LAURENCE OLIVIER

North Wall The idea of converting the School’s disused Victorian swimming pool into a theatre was a bold and inspired one. Led by Warden David Christie and Governor George Fenton the plan grew into a vision of a public arts centre that could both be the home of School Drama and Dance, provide a gallery space for the Art Department and also be a public space. The School would open the door to South Parade and at the same time as providing the public with a varied and challenging programme of theatre, dance, music and art, it would give the pupils of St Edward’s access to first-class working artists and performers. The building’s aim was to nurture new talent, to inspire young people to participate in the arts, and to break down barriers to making a career in the arts industry. The Governors approved the plan and the London architects Haworth Tomkins were commissioned to design an arts centre that would blend a Victorian listed building with Lord Olivier was at St Edward’s from 1921 to 1924 and took part in Cowell’s The Merchant of Venice in his first term. He did not take part in the 1922 production of Much Ado About Nothing. The 1923 production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream was the one in which Olivier starred as Puck (this was also the first play to be staged in the new North Wall theatre in 2006). The 1923 production was experimental in many ways, and clearly Cowell and Olivier’s performance ensured it would be memorable. The play was performed in the Dining Hall and the cast was encouraged to leave the stageand join theaudienceat times viaa passagewaythroughthem;thedoorwasleftopenforentrancesand exits (doubtless to thediscomfort of theaudience).Thepassageway allowedOliviertodancedownitmemorably.Olivierwroteinhisdiary of his performance that‘probably everyonehated it’. Aparentwrote (recordedbyR.D.Hill),‘AwordmustbesaidaboutOlivier’srendering of Puck. It was so distinctly original that it set the audience thinking. Probablymore thanonewent away saying“Thatwas notmy idea of Puck.”But was it not Shakespeare’s idea? That is a very tenable view.’ Oliviermade his final visit to the School in July 1981whenhe filmed scenes in the Quad for A Voyage Round My Father by John Mortimer. Chris Nathan, Archivist

was appointed as a Theatre Manager. Clive Stevenson was also appointed as the North Wall’s first Technical Manager. The St Edward’s Drama Department moved into the building in 2006 and in the autumn of that year I directed the pupils of the School in the theatre’s inaugural production – Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream . The following summer, the building opened to the public with a summer festival of world-class theatre, music and film – curated and programmed by Emily Mann, Jane Carter and Holly Kendrick under the leadership of George Fenton. That summer also saw the inaugural residential outreach project directed by writer and RADA Principal Edward Kemp and myself. The versatility and beauty of the theatre continue to serve as inspiration to the pupils of the School and School productions are of a high standard, with an ambitious choice of texts including Shakespeare’s Henry V , Sondheim’s Into The Woods and Pinter’s The Birthday Party , as well as challenging new work from emerging writers. The two studios are in constant use during the day as teaching spaces for the Drama Department and in the evening as rehearsal and class spaces for Dance and Drama. Recent St Edward’s alumni include Pippa Bennett-Warner (who recently appeared with Derek Jacobi in King Lear ), Sebastian de Souza (Channel 4’s Skins and HBO’s The Borgias ), Mark Quartley (RSC) and Emelia Clarke

(HBO’s Game of Thrones and Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s on Broadway). Residential Outreach projects run during the School holidays and have focused on all the disciplines involved in theatre and dance: design, choreography, composition, performance. A sizeable number of alumni have gone on to train at top British Drama schools and training programmes. We are also delighted to be able now to offer paid employment to some of those graduates – recruiting technicians, composers, costume and set designers, dancers and actors from what is becoming a growing association of young artists. In 2012 the North Wall produced its first professional production, Dead On Her Feet by Ron Hutchinson, which went on to Arcola in London. The cast were all young actors at the beginning of their careers and the designer, Alex Berry, was a recent outreach participant. As the North Wall’s first Artistic Director, I am immensely grateful and proud of all that the School has done to make such an extraordinary vision possible. It is a privilege to work in this building and to see the ideas that helped shape it become reality. It is, in the words of Shakespeare, ‘a most rare vision’, and proves that this School is ground breaking in its approach to education, the arts and the arts in education. Lucy Maycock Artistic Director, North Wall

Top: A Midsummer Night’s Dream cast, including Laurence Olivier, third from right in the middle row, 1923. Above: A Midsummer Night’s Dream , 2006, directed by L. Maycock. Sebastian de Souza surrounded by fairies.

modern architecture, and provide a 250-seat theatre, drama and dance studios, and an art gallery. Director of Cultural Activities Anthony Kerr-Dineen led an advisory group as well as forming SES Arts – a supporters’ organisation that raised awareness of the project and initiated fundraising activities – and Nick Quartley, a former Classics Teacher at the School,

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