This term the Senior Play was an entirely new piece of theatre enjoyed by audience members and cast alike. Jessica in Upper 5 tells us more below.
The autumn term finally came around, and we were all looking forward to starting rehearsals for the Senior School Play, which was Mrs Wallace’s adaption of Jane Eyre, called “I am no Bird.” In the four weeks of rehearsals, the cast developed their understanding of the storytelling style of the production. From moving props on stage, to watching a scene play out, every movement the cast members and props made, needed to be done with intent.
The characters consisted of four Jane Eyres, as Bronte changes her picture of Jane as the novel goes on, as well as one more Jane, who depicted the emotions in Jane’s mind. Charlotte Bronte remained on stage, writing the novel and building each unique character and their stories. As well as the Janes, Bertha (the mad woman in the attic) remained aloft, presented as the raw emotion of the play.
In rehearsals, the ensemble worked at creating movement sequences, such as the raging Hakka, or using the red cloth to create the red room where the young Jane is sent. Once the set was finished, we started rehearsing on it. It was such an intricate set which made it so interesting to explore, especially when on stage and not in the scene. As rehearsals progressed, and the play built, the sounds and music were built around it to present the story of Jane Eyre. We had a vocal group, as well as the musicians who played music to show time passing or to create a certain atmosphere in the piece.
Opening night came, and the play was ready for the audience. After four short weeks of creation and discovery of our characters, our energy levels were up and we were ready to show our hard work to the first audience. In performing our characters we were able to delve deeper, and by the third night we had brought our performances up ten levels compared to the first night. As it came to the bows on the final night, we were sad to think that this incredible experience was over. Over the course of the rehearsals we had bonded as a company, encouraging each other all the time and enjoying our time on and off stage. Our production of I am no Bird was the beginning of a hopefully long journey for this storytelling extravaganza.
