Private Peaceful - A Very Moving Production

Our Senior Production of Private Peaceful took place this week featuring exceptionally talented students from Year 10 and above.  They created an atmosphere that encapsulated the horror and injustice of the First World War, played sensitively and emotionally to a packed house for three performances from 23 November.

The cast began rehearsing in September to become the well-rounded characters that the audience became invested in.   We shared the pain and joy of brothers Tommo and Charlie, expertly acted by Year 12 students Dom and Zara with support from Year 11 Reuben as young Tommo.  All characters from Molly and Big Joe to Grandma Wolf and the horrible Sergeant Hanley, were brought to life by the incredible cast who all gave sterling performances that stirred emotions.  

Students are encouraged to become involved in all areas of extra-curricular life and our productions enable them to experience not only the creative arts, but also the roles of sound and lighting technicians.

A huge thank you to Mrs Ring, Head of Drama who directed the play and worked tirelessly to inspire our young stars. 

Mrs Ring said "This is the first straight play that the department has put on in many years and I wanted to offer the students something different to sink their teeth in to. I love the grittiness of Michael Morpurgo’s plays and the context surrounding WW1 and so Private Peaceful felt like a great choice. It also feels like a very apt time for us to be rehearsing and performing this play, around Armistice Day and the various remembrance ceremonies we observe."

There has been tremendous support for the production and the opening night was sponsored by Berkeley Homes.  We have also been lucky to work with Wokingham Theatre in sourcing many of the props and costumes for the show. Seeing the cast in authentic looking WW1 uniforms really brought the show to life for the audience and the addition of props such as gas masks and rifles fully conveyed the context of the war.