Head's Newsletter - 16 October 2015

Year 11 Trip to Hamlet Murder, madness and moral ambiguity; 10th September 2015 had it all, as Year 11 students and their English teachers travelled up to the Barbican for the National Theatre’s production of Hamlet. (Thankfully no “truant dispositions” were in evidence). Cutting a more lithesome figure than Richard Burbage, for whom the role was reportedly written, the no less heavyweight Benedict Cumberbatch, is the latest in a line of actors stretching back over 400 years to take on the part of the great Dane. As Shakespeare’s most performed play, Hamlet is often seen as the ultimate challenge for any actor and this, coupled with performing in front of an audience who included in their number 47 keen-brained Tiffinians, would have daunted all but the hardiest of souls. The writer is glad to report that (pace T. S. Eliot) the play was an unmitigated success and students and teachers alike were left with the impression that they had been party to something special. One student, who wishes to remain anonymous, summed up the experience adroitly when he remarked, “It comes alive when you see

it performed and I appreciate the language much more now I’ve heard it like that.” In many ways the theatrical aspect of a GCSE set text can be lost when it becomes a means to an end of a ‘good grade’ in the exam. And whilst I would not decry such an end, it is a privilege to be able to go beyond the classroom both literally and figuratively when exploring a work of art. For this I thank the generosity of the ‘theatrical gods’ who secured 51 tickets at a performance which was sold out months in advance and the parents who shelled out for the tickets and who continue to support us in our endeavours. Much more could be said but for now, “...the rest is silence.”

Year 11 Trip to Macbeth On Thursday 8th October, a group of Year 11 Shakespeare enthusiasts took the

opportunity to extend their learning beyond the classroom and into the Kingston Odeon to see the latest film version of Macbeth. Starring Michael Fassbender in the eponymous role, the film remained faithful to the source material while still offering original and thought-provoking interpretations of the text. The resulting discussions about directorial decisions gave students a new, critical perspective on the play’s thematic concerns and challenged our assumptions about characters and staging.