Arts & Culture

By Josie Williams

Commonweal School are delighted to present a Year 13 production by Commonweal C6 scholars of the award winning production DNA by Dennis Kelly on Tuesday 5 and 6 December.

This play is studied in GCSE Drama so it is recommended for students in Yr 9 thinking of taking Drama and those already studying in Yr 10 & 11.

The story is gripping, Adam is gone, presumed dead. He was last seen teetering on the grille of a deep, disused shaft, a group of teenagers throwing stones at him. They may all be guilty as hell, but they have no intention of getting caught. They have their futures to consider. Fortunately, help is at hand in the form of Phil, an eccentric teenage criminal mastermind who may be a genius or a psychopath, and who comes up with the solution to their little problem that ensures it’s the perfect crime. Or is it?

Megan Stimpson, drama teacher and director of the play, said: “We have received amazing feedback so far. Rehearsals are going excellently, and all of the cast are so excited to show you their hard work!”

Heather Birkbeck head of Drama and assistant director of DNA, added: “We are delighted to putting on a very strong, challenging performance  of DNA. It was something which we thought was not only a fantastic play to perform but was going to help our GSCE students who are studying it as part of their Drama exam. There are two casts ,mainly Year 13 , but supported by talented Year 10 and 9 students too.There will be more opportunities to see the   dramatic talent in Commonweal later  next year!”

Billy Hughes, Yr 10 age 14, explained: “From merely speaking our lines to a full run through with costume, lights, set and sound effects, the rehearsal process of DNA has been extremely full on but fantastic! The experience of watching and responding to Miss. Stimpson and Mrs Birkbeck’s directing has been completely eye opening and extremely useful for future theatre projects. By having the chance for us to create the characters we are playing and to direct parts ourselves has been truly amazing! It’s been wonderful to see how everyone has progressed throughout the process of rehearsals and also to see the way each performer has changed and adapted the characterisation of their role to enhance the naturalism of the performance but also to bring forward their personality as well. DNA is the perfect production for the cast as each role is equally significant which has made rehearsals far more enjoyable. Even when cast members were not acting, there was always some contribution to be made.

“Not only is the play gripping and exciting, the cast and directors have added comedy throughout some scenes and there is contrasting moods and tones conveyed by the set, the sound, the lighting and of course acting leaving the audience on the edge of their seats! Although we have lost a few cast members due to other commitments, we have recruited some help from Year 10 GCSE students and a Year 9 potential drama GCSE student. Even though we had a short rehearsal period the cast have all stayed committed and focused on the directing and improvements they could make to make this production even better!

“DNA has been frantic, emotional, hilarious and in general just a great experience for us performing arts students to take part in. Although we are slightly nervous about performing to our audience we are utterly excited and cannot wait for more future drama opportunities to arise!”

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