It was truly inspiring to see young people showing such genuine interest in socio-political events and expressing their views with conviction. Even more impressive was how the Fifth Form GCSE Drama students communicated their ideas and opinions through creative and compelling dramatic choices that captivated the audience throughout.
The first performance, The Cabinet of Echoes, invited us into a curious shop which held stories of ordinary people who had lived through extraordinary experiences. Fundamental British Values were put to the test, highlighting the importance of tolerance, mutual respect and individual liberty. Verbatim theatre was also used to retell a story of recovery, offering an honest and powerful insight into the impact of gambling addiction and how accepting help enabled a former addict to rebuild his life.
The second performance, Last One Standing, set in 2050 and hosted by former Prime Minister Nigel Farage, was a futuristic gameshow in which the contestants were prison inmates fighting for their lives in an initiative to alleviate prison overcrowding. Belittled by the host, tortured and examined by an eccentric human lie-detector, contestants were picked off one by one and ‘disposed of’ with the last one standing allowed to live. This provocative, creative vehicle purposefully raised many issues including the value of human life, human rights, media ethics, the role of the state and how far might we be willing to go in the name of entertainment?
