Two great plays, two simply extraordinary productions

Hurst in rep

The health, vitality and extraordinary professionalism of Drama in Hurst were once again confirmed as, in a single week, students directed two simply exceptional productions.

The first, based on R C Sherriff’s own experience as a Captain in the East Surrey Regiment, was Journey’s End, a desperately moving account of three days in rat infested trenches not far from Ypres towards the end of the First World War. Directed by Upper Sixth former, Cai Jones, the cast included many talented pupils. Charlie Finnamore played the courageous, but now whisky driven, Captain Stanhope with great style. Alister Dell captured superbly the balance between diffidence and bravado in the newly arrived Raleigh whilst Robert Biggs’ beautifully underplayed and confident, performance as the ‘lower class’ Mason was the more powerful for his quite exquisite comic timing. The rest of the cast: Harry Hitchens, Marnix Van Gelderen, Christopher Savory, Andrew Everall and the redoubtable Messrs Morris and Taylor-West were all first-class. The impact of this performance lay not only in outstanding acting and direction but also because so many of those who lost their lives in the trenches were of the same age as the cast, and had joined up from schools such as Hurst.

Hard on its heels came Lillian Hellman's extraordinarily powerful play, The Children’s Hour. This reveals tragedy of a different order but it is no less formidable in the demands it makes of both players and audience. Set in the 1930’s, it tells the story of the catastrophic outcomes when a spoilt pupil (Mary Tilford) spreads vicious rumours about the private lives of the two Principals who founded, and run, the school she attends. The play demands tour-de-force performances by its principal players and Amy Coulstock (who also won the Best Actress award for the House Play competition last year), Victoria Smith and Chloe Wilkes did not disappoint for one moment – all were remarkably poised, utterly convincing and brought great insight to their challenging roles. Olivia Beeby, too, played brilliantly against type as the manipulative and deeply unpleasant Mary Tilford, a role in which she was wonderfully supported by her ‘classmates’. Sophie Thackray, Emma Webb and Charlotte Haigh. Charlotte O’Halloran was a delightfully abrasive Aunt Mortar and Charlie Shotton excellent as the soulful, and ultimately doomed, Dr Joseph Cardin. The play was sensitively directed by Upper Sixth Formers, Catherine Bennett and Cassandra Bending, who brought out the very best possible performances from their young cast.