The Chronicle no. 672

6 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

TheTempest By Sixth Former Armela Lasku

In November, a group of pupils taking English at A Level or as one of their Higher Level IB subjects gathered at the Lodge to embark on a trip to watch The Tempest at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, birthplace of William Shakespeare. Before the play began, we had time to appreciate the imposing structure of the set, where jagged, towering remnants of a ship’s hull dominated the stage. The play itself was incredible. From the very beginning, we were all on edge, eagerly awaiting the actors in their stunning costumes. This production saw the return of celebrated actor Simon Russell Beale to the Royal Shakespeare Company to play Prospero, the rightful Duke of Milan. The digital technology was breathtaking, perfectly complementing the on-stage action. Lighting effects as magical as the powers that Prospero himself possessed had a forceful effect on the audience. The storm scene was particularly effective; the use of video projection created a threatening sky full of dark, scudding clouds. Although the whole play was great, my favourite part was the portrayal of Miranda, played by the talented Jenny Rainsford; she was bold and courageous, whilst still showing her gentle side. I also enjoyed watching Mark Quartley who played Ariel – it was fascinating to think that he had once been a pupil at St Edward’s (see page 24 for Mark’s reflections on his time at Teddies). After the play, the journey back to School was calm and tranquil, as most of us fell asleep after a highly entertaining evening watching the best play I’ve ever seen.

Armela was previously at Matthew Arnold School.

Humanitarian Society The Humanitarian Society was set up to give St Edward’s pupils opportunities to make a difference in our local community. Eager to build on the contact made with primary schools in Blackbird Leys at the Readers Make Leaders event, pupils organised a visit to Pegasus Primary School where they coached sport, played games and worked on craft projects. As ever with events such as these, the pupils returned feeling that they had received much more than they had given. Pictured above is Julius Nyonyo ( Caldicott ) with Lola.