高等部3年生 私立文系コースの生徒達がシェークスピア観劇に外出

Over the past two terms, the H3 English project class have been studying William Shakespeare, The Globe Theatre and Shakespeare’s famous love story, Romeo and Juliet. I am very pleased to report that these students have worked hard and enjoyed learning about this important figure in English literary history. Together we have looked at key facts about Shakespeare’s life; the construction of the Globe Theatre, and how it was used during theatrical productions; the contrasts between theatre-going in the early 17th and 21st centuries. I think the students’ greatest enjoyment, however, has come from studying Romeo and Juliet, learning about the characters and understanding the main themes of the story.

Having worked so hard on this subject, it was great to hear that this year’s Shakespeare Schools’ Festival would be held at The Capitol Theatre in Horsham, as this meant our students would have the opportunity to see local English schools performing various Shakespeare plays. On the evening of Weds 16th October, Miss Lovegrove (Assistant Head of EC) and I took the students to see a total of 4 plays: Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Merry Wives of Windsor. Obviously, these plays were shortened versions and each had its own interpretation, for example, the students performing Romeo and Juliet had cleverly used a football theme and had the Montagues and Capulets as opposing teams; it was great to see our students enjoying this play, understanding the story and recognising the characters.  Not all of the performances were so easy to follow; The Tempest, in particular, was difficult and quite a challenge, but it was still an excellent opportunity for our students to experience these plays being performed, and to see that they have shared in an important English educational tradition of celebrating the works of William Shakespeare.