This week has been House Play competition week. And for the first time the boy had landed a plum part. He's enjoyed dramatics throughout his school life, but this was a real opportunity to shine. His House is unlike the others in that they have a tradition of writing their own play. Quite an achievement in itself. And this year they were competing against Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead, Arsenic and Old Lace and an episode of Black Adder. The play was called The Script, and involved a clever conceit about a school where life was ruled by a Script, which accidently falls into the hands of the pupils, who then start altering it to suit themselves. It was, like all the plays, vetted by the head of drama who saw it twice before the performance. At the end of the play, the judges were due to give their verdict, and indeed they did. The play was disqualified for being inappropriate...one too many close resemblences to school masters and the head of drama was piqued. The decision has caused uproar...and not just amongst the pupils. You should see the Facebook page...it's blue. Staff walked out of the judging, and the general view is that the decision was unreasonable. I bet the staff room was a fun place to be the day after. I got my chance to see a 'modified' (censored) version on Friday. It was fall off your seat funny...and everyone gave a performance they should be proud of. But there's a lasting sense of injustice....although I suspect this particular play will be talked about long after the winning performance of Arsenic is long forgotten. And as a final note, it would have been better if the external judge hadn't talked about Rosencrantz and Guildenstein.
Oh that's ridiculous. The teachers should leave well alone.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in the sixth form at school I wrote a Christmas entertainment (performed by myself and 2 friends) based on Scrooge, with the deputy headmistress in the part of Ebenezer! Amazingly she sat through it and did not complain, although we heard it had gone down badly with some of the staff. My English teacher loved it though.....amazing how these things bring out the politics between the staff themselves.
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ReplyDeleteGoodness, Mr Indo's a bit forward, isn't he?
ReplyDeleteThis used to happen all the time when I worked in schools. Basically, teachers can be divided along the lines of... those with a sense of humour, and those without. Pretty much like the world at large, when you think about it. Of course, I was firmly in the former camp. But the thing about the plays, revues etc that made fun of me was... they just WEREN'T FUNNY!
NVG - here, here!
ReplyDeleteTim - yes indeed Mr Indo has taken me aback! Of course they weren't funny!
Not fair on the students who did all the work, a massive sense of humour failure.
ReplyDeleteBut as you say, it will be the one that's remembered.
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ReplyDeleteHello Kathryn...I'll drop you an e-mail
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