Brentwoodian 2019

29 Arabian Nights Being a part of the Senior production of Arabian Nights was a wonderful experience. It was a really unique piece of theatre and allowed us to explore a new style and genre of performance. One of my favourite parts of this play was the element of multi-role playing. This allowed everyone to show off their abilities and show the cast’s variation as actors. Each member had many different characters and it was amazing to work on these characters to enable the audience to be taken on a journey with us. This is something that we had not focussed a lot on in previous plays and I think it made this one stand out. The set was incredible and our technician, Mr Pavelka, spent hours creating a large ‘tent style’ set in our Memorial Hall. The transformation of the space was so interesting to see and this, along with our costumes, really helped us to get into character. It was set on the floor of the Memorial Hall, rather than the stage; this made it more interactive and engaging for the audience. Another factor that was new to the cast and me, was the use of puppets, another really interesting challenge to take on. This play enabled us to give the audience a range of stories, showcasing both comical and serious scenes, enabling the cast to show a range of skills. The process of putting this together felt like a real team effort and we were led by Mrs Hermosa as our wonderful director. By Amiee Mayhew Drama Club Before joining Drama Club we would have never imagined ourselves auditioning for major school productions like Oliver and Into The Woods , let alone starring in it. When we first joined Drama Club we didn’t know many people, as we were new to Brentwood, but now we are part of a huge Performing Arts community with friends in all year groups. Drama Club has helped many people to be confident and develop their acting and performance skills. I remember seeing different sides to people before our Summer show, ‘Never a Dahl Moment’! There were confidence issues but, as a collaborative, Drama Club helped the students blossom and overcome these issues. In the Summer show these same students were singing, dancing and performing their hearts out. It was so nice to see everyone come out of their shell and show people their true talent, which is why we love Drama Club. The club is on Friday lunchtime and it can be a great place to go and do some light-hearted acting and to meet people who are interested in the same hobbies. Also the Fourth and Fifth leaders are so easy to talk to, approachable and come up with great shows and ideas for us to perform. We do two shows per year; a Christmas performance and a Summer show on the outdoor stage. Last year at Christmas we did a show about Santa’s reindeer which we performed in the drama studio to a small audience but we then worked very hard after the Christmas holidays to put on a show for parents on the outdoor stage which was a huge success. By Jack Walker & Ore Fashesin-Souza