Juggling the International Baccalaureate with Hamlet rehearsals became the theme of the summer term. Throughout the course of our rehearsals, we developed our strength as a group while also making design, music, and lighting choices. Starting the play in January we had three International Baccalaureate Theatre students and through our rehearsals the most rewarding part was watching the acting of those around us grow.

The trials and tribulations of melding Shakespeare with the mafia in order to make Shakespeare appealing to a wider group also proved to be an interesting process and we found collectively that this was what gave our characters life. The physicality of our production allowed us to push the limits of our acting and illustrate the power struggle that is omnipresent through the play. The language was also difficult, and we spent many evenings in the sunshine learning our lines in order to finally run without scripts.

We had many good runs in rehearsal but what struck us on the night was the entire cast passion for the play, this elevated it to a new level and allowed us to play of each other’s power on stage. The beauty of sixth form is the freedom we have to develop our projects; we obviously couldn’t have created such a cohesive play without the help of Mrs Hurstwaite and our English teachers who both helped us to understand our lines and elevate our acting.

As a group we grew closer through the process as we understood each other’s strengths and weaknesses and the supportive environment created backstage brought the best out in everyone. In reflections we’re proud of the show we created, and the memories gained from it and we hope it will inspire future sixth formers to run their own play in future.

– Serena (Claudius), Mayumi (Gertrude) and Toby (Hamlet)