Last week our Years 3–5 pupils swapped their classrooms for the Senior School’s open-air Greek Theatre to spend a day work-shopping A Midsummer Night’s Dream with the specialist team from Drama in the Woods. Some of the action then moved into the Concert Hall, giving pupils the chance to explore the play in an indoor counterpart to the amphitheatre. From the very first vocal warm-up it was clear this would be no ordinary lesson. Children moulded characters out of clay, stepped confidently into a carousel of speaking and non-speaking roles, and practised Shakespearean lines until every syllable rang out across the stone tiers. Even a passing rain-shower couldn’t dampen spirits; umbrellas went up, but so did the energy, particularly during a mini-performance that proved “the show must go on” come rain or shine.
The day delivered far more than a crash course in Elizabethan verse. Speaking Shakespeare outdoors pushed pupils to project their voices and their ideas, building self-expression and confidence in equal measure not to mention the sheer joy of learning in the fresh air.
Inside the workshop, the children used fast-paced drama games and scene-work to unpack plot, character motives, and themes, culminating in an infectious enthusiasm for Shakespeare’s comedy.
Thanks go to Drama in the Woods for an unforgettable, action-packed day, and to our staff and pupils whose enthusiasm turned a damp Wednesday into an unforgettable midsummer memory.
