Sullivan are Spot On!
It has been an exceptionally busy year for the Drama Department and pupils have continued to wow us with their commitment and dedication. Our examination groups have worked extremely hard to overcome the many obstacles posed by the global pandemic. Year 11 delighted their peers with their own devising performances and Year 13 dazzled our Year 9 with their devised work based on Grimm’s Tales. The Year 12 impressed audiences with their Scripted Performances which included works from Oscar Wilde, Denis Kelly, and Lisa McGee. Year 14 had a spectacular finish to the year with comedic performances from The Importance of Being Ernest and Five Women Wearing the Same Dress.
It is not just the seniors who have been exploring new things. Year 8 have been researching the Ancient Greeks and Melodrama. Year 9 have been investigating Kabuki, Wayang Kulit and Noh Theatre as part of their World Theatre exploration. Year 10 ended the year using Stage Combat to explore Shakespeare! It was a busy but exciting year.
The Junior Drama Club, despite restrictions still being in place, managed to run and performed in an online seasonal production in December. With restrictions easing towards Spring, we were able to prepare for our Night at The Musicals - a joint venture between the Drama and Music Departments. We had helping hands from all over school, but a particular note of thanks must go to Mrs Trainor, Mrs Cinnamond, Mrs McVeigh, and Miss O’Neill who directed our scenes. This was a fantastic opportunity for Year 8-11 to perform extracts from 'Shrek, the Musical', 'School of Rock', 'Mary Poppins', and 'Matilda'.
We began the Senior Drama year with multiple screenings of live performance by the National Theatre, The Royal Shakespeare Company, and Theatre Albi (to name but a few). We were lucky enough to snatch tickets for the touring production of the highly acclaimed production 'Six' at The Grand Opera House, followed by 'The Heathers', 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time' and 'Everybody is Talking About Jamie'. During the festive season, the entire Year 8 visited The Grand Opera House too! They were lucky enough to see the mesmerising 'Bedknobs and Broomsticks' and we still have not figured out how they did all those special effects. It was spellbindingly breath-taking!
The Grand Opera House was not the only theatre visited by the Senior Drama Society! We focus on providing a variety of cultural experiences for our young people. This year we visited The Mac, Belfast to watch 'X’ntigone' and 'Half Moon'. The beautiful play 'Half Moon' is particularly memorable as it was written by past pupil Alice Malseed. This was an extremely exciting experience indeed! We also visited The Lyric Theatre, Belfast to see 'Translations', 'The Shedding of the Skin' and 'Blue Stocking'. These were stunning productions with 'Blue Stocking' resonating firmly with our young people and provoking lively discussion.
We already know that Sullivan Upper School is bursting at the seams with talent and now this talent has been recognised by the National Youth Theatre. Four of our gifted pupils were selected from a pool of over 5000 applicants to spend a few weeks in Nottingham during the summer honing their craft with the NYT. We do not like to blow our own trumpets but TOOT, TOOT, TOOT!!! After completing the audition process, Emma Burns, Serena Cochrane-Browne, Lydia Dobson, and Eve Mansfield- Watt spent time, working with world-renowned professional directors and facilitators. We cannot wait to host the National Youth Theatre auditions again this year and provide further opportunities for our pupils here at Sullivan.
The workshops did not stop there! Bruiser Theatre Company facilitated multiple workshops in school for all year groups. This was a terrific opportunity for our pupils to work with professionals and develop their skills as performers. The company’s exciting physical and stylistic approach was new for some of our pupils, and they found this challenging, but it encouraged them to create theatre in a new way.
It is impossible to discuss every wonderful moment experienced by the Drama Department this year as there have been so many! However, there was one constant which ensured that all these opportunities for our young people were able to happen- Mrs K Millar! We would like to thank Mrs K Millar for her support and dedication to Drama throughout her career at Sullivan. So, Mrs Millar, should you find retirement boring just give us a bell! We have some exciting projects planned for this year in which we are sure you would love to be involved!!
