Drama
Drama Tour – London and Paris
After a 2 year delay from COVID and lockdowns, 30 Drama students from Years 9, 10 and 11 and three teachers (risking it all!) departed on a trip to London, Stratford-Upon-Avon and Paris on the inaugural Pymble Drama Tour!
This was a trip of a lifetime that had been thoughtfully created by our amazing Head of Drama, Miss Tamara Sweetman, which ensured we had a fully immersive and comprehensive drama adventure.
Beginning in London, every day was jam packed to the brim, including visits to cultural and historical landmarks such as Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London (all students were allowed to leave with their heads thankfully) and a series of theatrical workshops. This included Cardboard Citizens – leading practitioners of Theatre of the Oppressed (Forum theatre), Punchdrunk – specialising in immersive theatre, Frantic Assembly – with an emphasis on physical theatre, and the Globe Theatre workshop on Shakespeare and scenes from Much Ado About Nothing. These workshops varied greatly, and have equipped us all with a set of invaluable skills to take into our acting and wider life.
Our evenings there were spent in the audience of one amazing London theatre or another watching theatrical productions live on stage, including Grease, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Part 1 and 2, The Crucible, and the highlight for most students – Much Ado About Nothing at the famous Globe Theatre!
Bidding London farewell, we ventured north via the magical Harry Potter studios to Shakespeare’s birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon. Here we watched the Royal Shakespeare Company’s modern take of All’s Well that Ends Well, attended a workshop at the Green Room (which focused on stage combat and performing Shakespeare), and went on tours around Stratford-upon-Avon grounded in Shakespeare and his early life with the bonus of some yummy treats from the Stratford Food Festival.
When at last, our time in England came to an end, we caught the Eurostar (which felt like charging against a stampede to get onto with 30 girls!) over to Paris.
Here, we had a wonderful time touring around landmarks including ascending the Eiffel tower, seeing the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo (amongst many other famous works of art) at the Louvre, climbing the hill to Sacré-Cœur, seeing the Arc de Triomphe, and even Disneyland Paris! It would be hard not to admit that Disney was a highlight for many (theatricals aside), whether that be on rides (Mrs Boyd LOVED Tower of Terror) or simply enjoying the Disney magic.
Our last day in Paris saw us finish our theatrical journey by experiencing the peculiar but riveting performance of the Bold Soprano, a French (granted, with English subtitles) absurdist play first performed in 1950 in the same small theatre (and it was shockingly small!), and attending an incredible drama workshop with Cours Florent – the French equivalent of NIDA, which had us all in high spirits for our journey home.
This tour was an outstanding experience and opportunity for all of us girls involved and we are so incredibly grateful to have been given the chance to learn and experience as much as we did across England and France as theatre practitioners and critics.
From all the girls, I would like to say thank you to Miss Sweetman for the most incredible last drama journey with you as our HOD. We cannot thank you enough for this amazing tour and once in a lifetime experience and thoroughly enjoyed sharing this journey with you. Thank you from all your Drama Tour girls!
I would also like to say a special thank you to Mrs Melissa Boyd and Mrs Michelle Hunt for joining us on this journey. Your support and company throughout the tour, as well as your patience and good humour were all appreciated by us!
Written by Isla Harris (Year 11)
Drama Prefect
