I don't think many schools would allow their pupils to produce and direct their own play
Rachel, Director, The Importance of Being Earnest
'I don’t think many schools would trust their pupils to produce and direct and stage their own play’ says Rachel, Harrodian Upper Sixth Former and director of the new student production of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest. ‘It’s lovely and typically Harrodian that they put such faith in us.’
Rachel chose Oscar Wilde’s most famous play for her directorial debut because, she says, it is a ‘timeless’ classic. ‘The humour has stood the test of time,’ she says. ‘It’s hilarious but it’s also a brilliant satire of Victorian society and the superficiality of a world whose values are all strangely upside down.’
Rachel recruited 11 fellow sixth formers to create a tight-knit acting and production team.
The production has been, Rachel says, very much a joint effort. At the beginning of term she recruited 11 fellow Sixth Formers to create a tight-knit acting and production team. Alongside the eight-strong male/female cast (four from Upper and four from Lower Sixth) – Arabella, Bruno, Maya, Luca, Will, Kristjan, Mia and Chloe – Rachel drew on the artistic and practical talents of Biba and Amy to create the set and costume designs. Her producer, Seb has been responsible for handling the rest of the nitty gritty details, props, technical issues and all the other backstage problems that inevitably come up. Head of Drama, Mr Glen has given the Sixth Formers their head as much as possible but has provided his expert touch on issues such as lighting and the set construction.
Rachel, who has just won a place to study English and Creative Writing at university and wants ‘to write plays’ as a career, admits that the tight two-month, production schedule has been quite a challenge for everyone. ‘It’s been hard work but it’s coming together,’ she says. ‘For the first time yesterday when I was watching the rehearsals I found myself just watching the actors and enjoying their performance rather than thinking about directing and giving notes to them. That’s a good feeling.’
