A View From The Bridge by Arthur Miller

Directed by Hurst Lower Sixth Formers, Amie Shouler and Hollie Trist

Lent Term 2010: 11^th-13^th January

The play is a tragedy so must have a trajectory for unless we care about the protagonist, Eddie Carbone, so ably played by George Greenstreet, no drama can be achieved. This production built up to the death of Eddie, killed by his own hand, skilfully; the ensemble actors relaxing into the domestic lighter scenes as resting places in their climb towards the awful summit. They were a terrific team.

There was generous acting all night which takes modesty, maturity, nerve and skill. James Livesey’s understated lawyer, Alfieri, allowed George’s language to grow more portentous than in most productions where the lawyer is played as a god. Constance Candler’s Beatrice always reacted naturally, Constance exhibiting enormous physical energy and gluing the dwellers of the grotty apartment that passes for home together. The set was predictably sparse (dockers have no money), and the directors held outside scenes in what doubled up as indoors, to convey the outside world crowding in on Eddie, to represent the idea that the private truth he cannot face will become known.

His private truth is that he harbours improper feelings for his niece Catherine, and this disgusts him so much that he would rather die than accept it, or kill himself because of it. George Greenstreet looked caged and angry, flexed and unflexed his muscles continuously and was inhabited by the perverse force that had moved into his body, never once dropping that pain: this was a terrific piece of physical acting and when it combined with a sustained Brooklyn twang became quite compelling. Izzy Bloomer as Catherine conveyed the latter’s development from moody, sexually-aware adolescent to self-possessed womanhood. This is some journey and she did it with lovely touches of voice and movement, morphing from light speaking and skipping into deeper tones, steadier gazing and standing.

The Sicilian cousins made for great contrast. Cameron Tubb played Marco as taciturn, brooding and gentlemanly and Bailey Pilbeam was a confident, garrulous, physically electric Rodolfo. That these two young actors held their own with senior partners speaks well of both former and latter.

The view from the audience that saw it was concerted: this was a gem of a production.

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Amadeus by Peter Schaffer

Directed by Hurst’s Director of Drama, Nicholas Beeby, a talented cast delivered a brilliant production of Peter Shaffer’s ‘Amadeus' with outstanding performances coming from Richard Hadfield, Sam Burrows, Emily Coulstock, Ben Cooke and Alex Cooke.

Richard dominated the play as the devious Salieri; his range of emotions, voice and physicality made his portayal pitch perfect. Sam’s charismatic and eccentric portrayal of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart added another dimension to the production, bringing energy, life and of course laughter to the role. Emily played the role of Constanze superbly, her strong opinions and devotion made her stand out from the rest of the female characters. As identical twins, Ben and Alex Cooke’s double act, with brilliant comic timing, added a lighter tone to the, at times, sinister play.

Commendations are well deserved by Jack Leaver, Jacob Hollebon, Isaac Yule and Rhys Nelson; the skill with which they played their supporing roles (Count Orsini-Rosenberg, Emperor Joseph II, Baron Gottfried van Swieten and Count Von Strack respectively) was essential to the success of the play.

The set was brilliantly designed (complete with a life-sized toy theatre on the stage) and period costumes and wigs added a superb gloss to the production.

In summary ,this was an amusing, intelligent and, at times, extremely moving production that impressed all who were priveleged to see it.

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Closer by Patrick Marber

23rd and 24th November 2010

Directed by Hurst Sixth Form student Anna Turzynski

“Every person is a million stories”, and Patrick Marber’s “Closer” attempts to extract the stories of four people, whose lives have many complex crossovers. This challenging play required a talented cast and impressive direction, and Hurst is very lucky to have both in this production. With Anna Turzynski’s hard work and inspiration this mature drama emerged as a very sophisticated piece of theatre.

A very minimalistic set made great use of props, such as the single photo, drawing the audience into a very intimate experience with the story. Daniel Costello gave a powerful portrayal as the passionate doctor and was at times viciously funny. The mysterious and promiscuous Jane, also known as Alice, was given a spectacular energy and poise by Olivia Beeby, who faced some very challenging scenes. Edward Zeidler was brilliantly affecting as Dan, the failed writer who falls in and out of love. Lastly, Harriet Warren provided a very poignant performance as the victimised Anna, whose affections are tossed between Dan and Larry.

This outstanding piece of theatre. It is a testament to the quality of Drama at Hurst that such a challenging and mature play can be mounted by students for students.

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Nicholas Nickleby
David Edgar's rollicking adaptation of the Dickens' tale finds a good home at Hurst

As a story, 'The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby' needs little introduction. The comic novel, originally published as a serial, has a lasting reputation that makes it one of the great pieces of Victorian literature. David Edgar’s “dramatic triumph” of an adaptation, premiered in 1980, has equally become a theatrical classic.

The contemporary, indeed bare setting for this production echoed the emotional power of many of Dickens’ finest novels. The actors were encased in the darkness of a black-drape set which was bordered by rectangular wooden arches that served as entrances (and exits). This scheme was echoed in the gold picture frame, used by the various characters as a device to emphasise a sense of ‘otherness’, of viewing the world from a fresh perspective just as Dickens’ dark, comic style made his works so popular whilst informing the Victorian middle and upper classes of the real plight of the poor.

Charlie Oldham portrayed an undoubtedly likeable Nickleby. His ability to comment upon the action as ‘Nickleby, the observer’ and then take part in the action as ‘Nickleby, the character’ enabled the audience to view the story objectively whilst fully engaged with the action. Indeed, it was easy to empathise with the concern he showed for all the children and for Smike at Wackford Squeers’ ghastly school and to feel horror, too, at the events that befell Nickleby after the death of his father, highlighted by George Johnson’s enthusiastic portrayal of the evil Uncle into whose custody the unfortunate Nicholas was given.

Miles Borrett, as Smike, also caught the audience’s imagination. His captivating glances and childish air were pervaded by a sense of sorrow that cast its spell on the audience. Harry Spencer-Philips conveyed a loveable Newman Noggs, capturing perfectly Noggs’ erratic behaviour and good nature; and Katie Digby was an impressive Kate Nickleby, her self-assurance on stage mirroring the new-found confidence of women that was emerging in the Victorian era.

It was good, too, to see some of the new acting talent at Hurst in action. Alex Catlin-Freytag took on the three roles of Mr Mantalini, Mr Crowl and a political vulture and displayed a great gift for comedy; one might well say that his stage debut was “demn’d satisfactory”! The comic rapport between Catlin-Freytag as Mantalini and on-stage partner Maddie Leeper, created a real impact. Another newcomer, Martha Powell, was a natural on stage in the role of Fanny Squeers, and aided by her relationship with best friend and arch-rival Tilda Price (Abby Denny) added much to the comedy in the play. Two other 'new' actors, Polly Hobbs and Georgia James made up the rest of this grotesque family, headed by Will Somerset, whose make-up also went down a storm. Quality and confidence was found in all members of the cast, and this allowed the tensions between the comedy and tragedy to flow so well. The audience found themselves alternating between fits of laughter and deep emotions. Towards the end of the first performance a few first night hitches could not stop the play culminating in a stellar finale, that was only topped by the loud and appreciative applause.

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The Scottish Play, Shakespeare's Macbeth
- a powerful and impressive interpretation

Directed by Jonathon Scott, Drama Department teacher

Michaelmas term 2010's production of Macbeth was somewhat of a departure from the more traditionally staged Shakespeare plays at Hurst; an intriguing soundtrack of heartbeats, weather, drips, bumps and electronic music, together with mysterious, projected black and white moving images, ensured that the power of the supernatural was never far away.

The pace was cracking, yet never hurried;  the acting outstanding. James Rothwell’s Macbeth, dressed all in black, was strong and sensitive. His immediate horror at murdering the king as he cowered on the floor was very evident;  the audience felt genuinely sorry for him.  His determination to go into battle at the end with all the odds stacked against him was curiously impressive.  Jemima Henstridge-Blows’ Lady Macbeth was graceful and manipulative.  The chemistry between the two leads - the little touches such as the subtle eye contact - made this production so powerful.

Finally, there’s Malcolm and Macduff, both of whom drove the story forward.  Harry Hitchins as Macduff was masterful.  The horror that enveloped him as he heard of his family’s cruel slaughter was utterly believable and his final encounter with Macbeth has sparks flying in more ways than one!   If the play charts Macbeth’s personal tragedy, then so too is it the journey of Malcolm’s coming of age.  His self-discovery was poignant and appealing, and was played with immense sensitivity by Josh Fowler who stepped in at the last minute to take on the role.

Mr Scott 's first Shakespeare play at Hurst was a genuinely stunning production. 

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Lord of the Flies by William Golding, adapted for the stage by Nigel Williams

Shell and Remove pupils directed by Hurst student Joshua Fowler

The last week of the Hurst year saw William Golding’s famous classic Lord Of The Flies take to the stage. Directed by Sixth former Joshua Fowler, the performance showcased the talents of a significant number if Shell & Remove students.

It could never be easy taking on the well-known masterpiece; one that so many of the audience were already familiar with. Most memorably the various tribal dances, led by Merridew (Polly Sykes) where cleverly choreographed and superbly performed. The death of Piggy, primarily involving Rhys Nelson and Abby Denny was shocking, vivid and acted with skill. Josh Fowler’s use of the 'extended stage' was excellent. Frequently, for example, Merridew’s tribe were running through the studio doors, creating a heightened sense of drama and space and tiered ranks of seats were used to convey a sense of the mountain.

It was an interesting decision to cast girls as Jack’s vicious and spiteful gang and boys as Ralph’s more sensitive companions and, as a counterpoint to this harrowing tale, a thread of comedy (to which Shell pupil Rosie Zeidler contributed significantly) wove its way through the production providing much needed light relief.

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The Miracle by Lin Coghlan

The annual production put on at the end of their final year at Hurst by Upper Sixth form students. Directed by Hurst's Head of Drama, Nicholas Beeby, it was, this year, held in the open air on the lawn behind Martlet House

The leavers’ play is one of the highlights in the drama calendar; some of the actors have little or no experience of drama yet they they take part and give great performances! This year the leavers’ play was ‘The Miracle’ by Lin Coghlan. After an exhausting Charity Day, taking advantage of the fantastic weather, the school went to the Martlet lawn for a barbeque before settling down to watch ‘The Miracle’ – a perfect end the school year. ‘The Miracle’ was an exciting performance consisting of a real car as part of the set and it started with the actors standing in the rain! (From a hose pipe and sprinkler from one of the Martlet windows.) In less than a week the group of Upper Sixth form leavers produced a funny and dynamic performance. The play delves into the life of Veronica (Camilla Gifford) who gains magical healing powers and with her friend, Zelda Ginger (Abi Walker), she is empowered to help the local community with their day-to-day problems. Angela Brickman was counselled to treat her depression by eating a pineapple a day, Peter ‘Chewy’ Zapadski had to put a hot water bottle on his heart three times a day to cure dyslexia and Barry O’Donnell was advised to cure perennial delinquency by finding a dog to look after! The comic elements of the play contrasted with some of the more serious underlying issues such as the return from war of the troubled and disturbed Lorenzo (Charlie Finnamore). His brother Billy’s (Alister Dell) affection and excitement upon his return was genuinely touching. The actors performed with commitment and enthusiasm and I think as the production was a wholehearted success.

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Warden Park/Remove LAMDA project

A two term course for 30 Year 10 drama students from Hurst and Warden Park school culminating in a public performance and entry for a group LAMDA examination. The three groups gain two distinctions and one merit. This is the second year of this exciting project which the Drama department at Hurst runs in conjunction with Warden Park School in Cuckfield. Last year, we picked 10 of our top drama students from the Remove, mixed them with 10 of Warden Park’s and stood back to watch the theatrical alchemy – both groups achieved top marks and distinctions in the Grade 6 group devised acting examination. This year, the demand was so high, that we had to increase the intake to 15 from each school. The course runs from January of each year with a view to students being entered for the examination in the following July. Once Nicholas Beeby and his counterpart from Warden Park school, Sarah Shepherd, have spent a few sessions building effective teams, the groups set off on creating their devised work in preparation for the exam. This year’s starting point was Ford Madox Ford’s World War One poem, Antwerp. The three casts came up with very different takes on the work: the first a nosey neighbourhood looking in on an abusive family with tragic consequences; the second a mysterious man with a series of relationships which all come to light when he is admitted to hospital in a critical state after what appeared to be an accident; and finally, a heartbreaking study of people calling loved-ones from planes that were about to crash into the World Trade Centre towers in 2001.

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Shell Shakespeare Festival

Every pupil in the Shell performs in one of six abridged Shakespeare plays in the beautiful surroundings of Hurst's inner quad

This is one of Hurst’s best traditions. Every pupil, whichever character they played, will remember their part in the Shell Shakespeare Festival. Without fail, at speech day, it figures in the memories of at least one of the student speakers. Every member of the Shell takes part in this project and the result is simply fantastic. This year we revamped the format significantly. As in the two previous years, each form had their own abridged version of one of Shakespeare’s plays, each retaining the original language. The classes’ teachers, Mr Scott, Miss Clarke and Mr Beeby, had been working on the plays with their casts since February and in the final three days before the performance, the entire Shell devoted the whole day rehearsing. At this point, in came Neil Matthews, Cassie Bending and Mike Carter to supplement the direction and hothouse the casts in the final lead-up to the performance. Instead of an audience cramming into a sweltering drama studio or Bury Theatre, however, the casts performed in the Inner Quad on a barmy summer’s evening. Parents and friends came along with rugs, picnics and Pimms and enjoyed one, a few or all of the plays. For some participants, this is just one more of the many productions they will undertake at Hurst. For others, however, this might be the only time they ever treat the boards in their time here. How fitting that it should be in one of Shakespeare’s plays. An unforgettable experience.

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Stuff I Buried In A Small Town by Mike Bartlett

Hurst students directed by Drama gap year student, Cassandra Bending

This play takes a look at modern contemporary life and situations that might occur in a small town, looking at young people in today's society and how they make their mark in an increasingly complicated world.

It also deals with some very serious issues such as mental health, addiction, sexuality, racism, love and relationships, but the young cast and crew seemed to take all this in their stride as they put on an extremely impressive and mature performance.

Mention must be made of Cassie Bending’s use of the space available to her. There must have been thirty cast members, but the movement from one scene to another was seamless and highly professional – as was the entire production.

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AS Monologues

May 2010

This is a fairly new component of the syllabus and involves LVI students performing a range of monologues to an audience. They must choose the play they wish to perform an extract from and then submit to the examiner a rationale for their style of interpretation. This then forms the criteria that they will be judged against. The evening held such delights as The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, Macbeth, The Dresser and two of Harold Pinter’s plays.

GCSE performances

May 2010

This was the Vth form Drama students’ last chance to bag top marks for their performances for the Drama GCSE.  Audiences were treated to a range of pieces inspired by J M Barrie’s Peter Pan, Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus, Alan Bennett’s The History Boys and Noel Coward’s Private Lives.

Visit to RSC - Stratford-Upon-Avon

May 2010

The Drama department runs “Shakespeare” trips annually, which alternate between the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-Upon-Avon. and Shakespeare’s Globe in London. This year it was the turn of Stratford with performances of Romeo and Juliet and Antony and Cleopatra. Sixth Form Drama students will have to compare the production they saw with the one that, based on their research, would have been most likely to have taken place in the 1600s when the plays were first performed. Students were also treated to a walking tour of Shakespeare’s Stratford, seeing his birthplace, grave and many other fascinating sites of interest.

Lysistrata by Aristophanes

A workshop/rehearsal run by Upper Sixth form Drama students

Each year as part of the UVI form’s Drama studies, a workshop is held to enable them to rehearse a cast in their production of Aristophanes’ Lysistrata. The final exam requires them to have planned their own production of the play and this is an opportunity to try out ideas and maybe form new ones with a willing ‘cast’ of volunteers.

Speaking in Tongues by Andrew Bovell

Lower Sixth Form students directed by Hurst Drama teacher, Jonathon Scott: review by Hurst Head of Drama, Nicholas Beeby

Another LVI group tackled Andrew Bovell’s beautifully-written play about seven characters with unusually linked lives. 

The play opens with Sonja, having picked up Pete in a bar, taking him to a hotel. Sonja’s husband has likewise picked up Pete’s wife and taken her to another hotel. We see both rooms on the stage at the same time and hear both conversations overlapping in ridiculously complex exchanges. Both men meet and both women meet later in situations that resolve the messes of their marriages in disastrous fashion, yet in a manner satisfying to the audience.

In the second Act, analyst Valerie deals with a patient she does not like and an increasingly estranged husband. Policeman Leon has to get to the bottom of what might have happened to Valerie after she left her office and did not arrive home.

This grown-up play was delivered with aplomb by a remarkably mature cast, who performed admirably, even though at times it was agonising to watch.

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Blood Wedding by Federico Garcia Lorca

Lower Sixth Form students directed by Hurst Head of Drama, Nicholas Beeby

Federico Garcia Lorca’s tale of passion and lust in 1920s Spain was brought to life by members of the LVI in the final week of term in the Drama Studio. A heavy lighting rig helped to create the feeling of oppressive heat (as the audience were genuinely hot) and an omni-present cast gave the impression that members of the community were under constant observation and judgement.

Harriet Warren’s sulky bride gave herself reluctantly to a callow bridegroom (Joshua Fowler), when she was clearly only interested in her former suitor, the manly Leonardo (Benjamin Quayle). The audience’s hearts genuinely bled for Leonardo’s hapless wife (Anna Turzynski) as she had to stand by and watch her philandering husband make a fool of her. Powerless members of the family (Beatrix Waggott, Jasmin Upton and Jack Dunckley) watched helplessly on as the two lovers set off on a path of self-destruction that could only end in disaster, interestingly at the hands of an old woman (Annie Rawlins): Lorca’s device of Death personified. A mature and sensitive production that did credit to all members of the company.

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West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim

Cast of fifty students directed by Hurst's Director of Drama Nicholas Beeby, Musical Director, Hurst's Head of Music, Neil Matthews, Choreographer Nicky Berekeley

review by Hurst student Jasper Pickering

At this time each year, students from every year group gather together to put on the Lent Term musical. Following on from the successes of Les Misérables, Godspell and last year’s The Sound of Music from last year, West Side Story proved to be the latest triumph from the unstoppable duo of Messrs Beeby and Matthews.
The story follows the storyline of Romeo and Juliet: a young couple from rival factions fight for their love amidst the hate and violence from their respective gangs. Written in 1957, it remains a classic, with brilliant composition combining Latin music with modern Jazz.
The orchestra of more than 20 played excellently and was wonderfully conducted by Mr Matthews. The set was polished, with period detail, such as the billboards and Coca Cola advertisements, giving the play a much denser atmosphere.
Of course, this would all mean nothing without the literally all-singing and all-dancing cast. Everyone had a part to play but special mention goes to Amy Shouler as Anita, and to the leads, Dominique Hawken  and Charlie Finnamore. ‘The Jets’ delighted audiences with their pleasing performance of  ‘Gee, Officer Krupke’. Clearly a great deal of effort went into this production and Hurst will be glad to see more of its kind in future. The Hurst Musical seems to get bigger and better with every passing year. Congratulations to everyone involved in this one.

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Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo and Simon Reade

Cast of thirty students directed by Hurst Sixth Form student Georgina Brehaut: review by Hurst student Sophie Bexon

Michael Morpurgo’s Private Peaceful is set in WW1and tackles the difficult subject of soldiers accused of cowardice and tells the story of the Peaceful brothers from their childhood in the English countryside to the terror of the trenches. Every scene carried emotional impact, whether young romance as seen in their relationship with the kindly Molly to the fear and horror of their grim life at the front. James Hammond and Charlie Oldham, as the brothers, displayed a wide range of emotions and were convincing throughout.

It was an inspired move to use a puppet in the role of Tommo, which was convincing to the audience as a real child.  James Hammond controlled and acted through the puppet effortlessly and with great skill. 

As a whole the company worked well together and created strong atmosphere that brought the play to life.  The ensemble at one point came together to create a train brimming with movement and sound effects, which was very effective. 

It was very moving in places but also cleverly had moments of humour and warmth, all created by an excellent cast.

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Thérèse Raquin by Emile Zola

Cast of seven students directed by Hurst Sixth Form student Tim Jackson; review by Hurst student Charlie Shotton

Zola’s tragic story reveals the contrast of love and hate, and the fine line that separates the two.

The set was superbly put together as a small apartment above a shop in 1860s Paris, and the use of the one room for the entirety of the play served to concentrate the drama more.

Thanks to this setting and the proximity of the actors, the audience felt thoroughly immersed in the events that unfolded. Having the characters in position at the beginning was very effective, especially for the character of Camille (Zack Pinsent), who was instantly established with the audience.

The effective and poignant comic relief, provided by Jasper Pickering and Gherardo Di Nardis, as Grivet and Michaud respectively, amused the audience without detracting from the severity of the play. Harriet Warren was a beautifully poised and dour Thérèse, while Shell’s Elsa Noad provided a delightful contrast as the coquettish Suzanne – one to watch for the future!

Also of note was the effective and moving portrayal of Laurent by Ben Quayle.

This thought-provoking piece, directed by Tim Jackson, was portrayed with energy and spirit and left the audience with a profound emotional message.

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Boeing Boeing by Marc Camoletti and Beverley Cross

review by Hurst student Amy Shouler

Directed by Olivia Beeby and Stephanie Liddell as part of their GCE ‘Extended Project’, a small and talented cast delivered a show-stopping production.

Each member of the cast delivered the fast-paced, witty lines with confidence and precision. Timing is key to this play and the crisp performances showed that the directors had paid close attention to this. Jack Leaver delivered a tremendous performance as the callous Bernard, complemented by witty improvisation. Ed Zeidler captured the naiveté of Robert and seemingly effortlessly delivered his hilarious lines. The girlfriends successfully established themselves as three very contrasting, yet strong characters. Whether a rather energetic entrance into Bernard’s flat, posing provocatively in front of Robert or simply transforming into an Italian princess, each performed with a perfect, slick quality. Finally, Jasmin Upton’s portrayal of the moody Bertha was sensationally executed and certainly created much laughter in the audience.

The cast’s achievement with such a short rehearsal period was amazing . Their jaw-droppingly comical performances makes it a wonder they managed to keep their composure on stage. Boeing Boeing should go down as another of the greats in the long line of Hurst productions.

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A Life in the Theatre

Christopher Gaze remembers

14 January 2010. Drama Studio.

It is always a delight to have former Hurst pupils return to talk about their life after school. Christopher Gaze was a contemporary of Neil Morris’ (Hust English Department) from 1960 to 1970 and was in Fleur de Lys house (then, of course, a Boys House). From Hurst, he spent three years at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and two years in repertory theatre in the North. In 1975 he went to Canada and worked as an actor across Canada and the States. In 1990 he started a Shakespeare Festival in Vancouver, British Columbia - it is a massive success and plays to 90,000 people every summer. He was in the UK in the New Year for a Shakespeare conference at the Globe in London and came to Hurst to give a talk about his life in the theatre. He spoke to a drama studio full of Drama students, Drama scholars and those with an interest in a life in the theatre.