Lower School Performs Hamlet at The Shaw Theatre
8th March 24
During the term, students from Years 4 to 6 had the opportunity to perform the Shakespearean play, Hamlet, at The Shaw Theatre.
This was a fantastic opportunity for the students involved, who met those from the Shakespeare Company who helped them learn Shakespearean language and stage techniques, but also because they got to perform on a theatre stage. The play was watched by their parents, but also by parents and children from other schools, who also performed later on. While this was not a competitive event, proceeds raised during it were donated to charity.
Emma and Ellie in Year 6 commented: “We’ve been preparing since November and it’s been a nice challenge to learn your lines – the Shakespeare Company came in a few times and we had extra Shakespeare lessons to help us prepare. We both really enjoy acting and want to do it when we’re older – transforming into someone else and getting to be someone else is so interesting and the costumes are great! It was great getting to know everyone and learning a lot about Hamlet, as well as getting to watch everyone else’s performances because everyone had a different take on the different plays.”
Two Year 5 students said: “We really liked being able to learn all the Shakespeare and it was nice to meet new people while we were doing this. The Shakespeare Company were a big help with getting us ready – they helped a lot with our reactions for moments like the death scenes – and it was satisfying to get the audience to laugh when we wanted them to. It was also so amazing to perform inside a real theatre with all the real lights!”
One Year 4 student added: “I really enjoyed seeing how we progressed as a group and work through the changes we decided on. It was my first time doing Shakespeare and I really enjoyed it; my favourite part was seeing everyone’s reaction at the end of the play!”
