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By Polly Hadziz, Teacher of Drama and Dance
Have you ever thought about what your most important memory is, or if you could turn back time would you change a decision that you made?
These are questions that our recent 6.1 student directed performances encouraged the audience to consider. Art, Contractions, Some Explicit Photographs and 100 were beautifully executed across two entertaining evenings.
The directors and actors had been working tirelessly to produce four plays that were thought provoking and entertaining. The actors embodied the characters with ease and purpose; the direction was seamless and the joy and confidence filled each of the performance spaces like a creative whirlwind!
Student Directed is an academic enrichment option where 6.1 students are directed by 6.2’s.
The twelve 6.1 actors were auditioned, cast and had been rehearsing these pieces since September with seven 6.2 directors. Four plays were realised this week in Bedales Lupton Hall and the Old Drama Studio and the standard was exceptional. The talent of the actors and the skills of the directors were showcased brilliantly in four established plays that were edited down to thirty minutes.
Student Directed is a particularly exciting event because it is entirely student led.
Tutors meet with the directors once a week to support them, inputting on rehearsals where needed and assisting with tech and dress rehearsals. Now the plays have been performed, the actors will have a chance to play with other texts during enrichment lessons they in turn will learn the skills of directing, including choosing and editing plays, holding auditions, casting and staging scripts. It was from this part of the enrichment last year that our current directors came forward and it has proved to be a very popular option. We look forward to seeing what Student Directed delivers next year.
Read on for a review of 'Contractions' - one of the plays which was performed as part of this event.
Photos by Victoria Davies.
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By Holly (Student, 6.2)
"This year, my fellow director Ignatius and I directed 'Contractions' by Mike Bartlett.
It's a humorous yet thought-provoking piece that explores corporate surveillance, the loss of privacy, and the slow erosion of individuality.
The play centres on a young woman, Emma, who is repeatedly called into meetings with her Manager because she is in a relationship with a colleague, Darren. What begins as a straightforward HR issue becomes increasingly invasive. The company starts to dictate what she can say, feel, and do — forcing her to prioritise corporate loyalty over love, honesty, and eventually her own autonomy.
Although the play is set in an office, we felt that a static setting might become visually monotonous across fourteen scenes.
Instead, we chose to transform the set between scenes, making it more surreal and symbolic of the Manager’s growing control over Emma. Beginning with a simple desk and two chairs, we rearranged the furniture throughout to place the Manager in different physical positions of dominance and intimidation. For example, at one point we removed the table entirely so the chairs were placed closer together, reflecting the more personal nature of the Manager’s questioning about Emma’s relationship with Darren. We also incorporated various props to suggest different corporate environments — beanbags to imply a relaxed workplace, or Pilates balls to evoke a superficially progressive office culture. By the end, we returned to the original arrangement of two chairs and a desk, reflecting Emma’s complete conformity to the company.
We were fortunate to have the wonderful Scruff as the Manager and Phoebe as Emma.
They responded brilliantly to direction, making thoughtful and compelling character choices throughout. One audience member even commented that Scruff’s portrayal of the Manager reminded him of his own overbearing neighbour. Performing a two-woman play without a break is incredibly demanding, and Phoebe’s character undergoes a particularly challenging psychological journey — from an enthusiastic young employee to a monosyllabic corporate robot. She handled this transformation with remarkable control and clarity. We couldn’t be prouder of them both; their performances are a testament to their hard work and talent.
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