Meriden Drama students immersed themselves in Elizabethan era theatrics at the annual Shakespeare Carnival, earning judges’ critical acclaim for their moving performances and achieving equal first place for a performance of a duologue from Macbeth.
The Year 10 students showcased their passion and talent for Shakespearean literature at the Sport for Jove Shakespeare Carnival. Currently in its eighth year, the carnival challenges students’ understanding and broadens their perspective of Shakespeare.
“We had the opportunity to appreciate the different talents and skills, and to see how other schools had shaped their students’ understanding of Shakespeare, and the methods they used to develop their performances, some of which were quite different to our process at Meriden,” the girls said.
“It was interesting to see the different ways in which Shakespeare could be played, especially without the lighting, costumes and theatrics that are typical to the adaptations we watch in class – there was an appreciation of the simplicity of drama.”
“The performances gave the scripts life and emotion, and seeing everyone passionately perform and breathe life into them was incredible, and you don’t get that when studying Shakespeare in class.”
The girls enjoyed the fun and supportive environment, and the sense of community the carnival created. Everyone in the room enjoyed drama and was a Shakespeare enthusiast. Everyone was there for the same reason: to watch each other’s performances and original works inspired by Shakespeare.
Roses of Nobility: An original script
Aishani D, Saoirse F, Matilda G, Diya M and Sophie Y drew on their understanding of Elizabethan language and co-wrote and performed Roses of Nobility: a short-lived love story of Rosaline and Ashwood, noble children who crumbled under the pressure in which they were raised. A paranormal tale of love, jealousy and freedom.
“One of the most enjoyable parts about creating our own piece was that we were able to tailor our characters and plot to suit the performance strengths of each actor.
“We put effort into developing and fleshing out our play – planning, improvising and practising. This helped us understand our characters, Shakespeare, each other and ourselves as performers.”
The girls found writing in Shakespearean language while balancing understandability of modern audiences the most challenging: “We had to ensure the audience would know what was happening without taking away from the Shakespearean essence of our performance.
“The workshops we did in class were extremely helpful in nailing key Shakespearean elements, such as wonderfully obscure insults, which we ended up using in our final script.”
“It was rewarding to see our ideas go from page to stage, using the concepts we had learned in class and our own artistry, showing how our learning had paid off to produce a piece which we all took pride in.”
The judges commended the girls for their sophisticated use of language and commitment to their characters.
Prologue from Roses of Nobility
Young lovers, alike in naivety,
In fields of Warwick where we lay our scene.
The doting flow’r, whose affinity
For calamitous love doth break routine.
As hoarded hurt doth rise as with the tides,
Diamonds turned to naught but dusted wounds;
A silent lamb doth make a weary bride
And reluctance doth linger, sweet perfume.
Dutiful love is pain akin to starve
And men’s sins broke naught but Eve’s fragile heart.
Macbeth duo wins first place
Sienna H and Elissa F performed a duologue from Act 1, Scene 7 of Macbeth, showing Lady Macbeth’s manipulation and the corrupting nature of power.
The girls achieved equal first place for their performance, earning the opportunity to attend a masterclass with Sport for Jove actors and tutors, and performing at the state finals.
Both Sienna and Elissa found the masterclass helpful in improving their understanding of the back story and motives of their characters, which ultimately elevated their performance.
“We made some really good friends through the experience,” Sienna said. “One of the best parts about being part of the state final was watching the performances from groups we saw at the regional carnival and seeing how they changed and enhanced their performances.”
Elissa said performing at the state finals was an incredible experience: “We got to perform on a professional stage at the Seymour Centre and in a theatre in the round, meaning there were seats all around the stage, with the house lights up so we could see the audience.”
“It was so interesting to see all these talented, creative people inspired by these plays written 400 years ago. I loved going to the Shakespeare carnival and would definitely go again.”
