Audiences left impressed and intrigued by our latest thought-provoking school production, The Trial – a creative and, quite frankly, tormenting adaptation of Franz Kafka’s dark and haunting tale.
In just 45 minutes, the cast of 16 pupils from Bedford School and Bedford Girls’ School told the story of how Joseph K. (played brilliantly by Remove Former William Roberts) was awaiting trial, but with no idea why.
Set in an underground district of Prague in 2036, the cast deployed Berkovian techniques to create a magnificent piece of physical theatre. The young actors moved LED-lit doorframes around the stage to create corridors and depict journeys, creating their own dynamic set. The set worked harmoniously, and the cast’s fluidity and ability to perform so in tune with each other delighted the audience.
A member of the audience told us afterwards. “The director’s staging of the play was very clever in making the audience feel a part of the issues at hand, almost an accomplice to condemning a guiltless man to a lifetime of uncertainty; being in such close proximity to the action onstage made us in the audience feel the terrifying, visceral claustrophobia that K was experiencing onstage. The powerful acting by the cast emphasised the importance of upholding the rule of law and the absolute fundamental right to a fair trial.”
The music, an original score written and composed by Music Teacher Mr Thom Rooke, was very avant-garde with an industrial feel, which emphasised the dark, evocative story. Also, behind the scenes, an all-boy team, who have been attending Theatre Tech Club every week, created and managed the stage lighting with only a small amount of supervision from our theatre technician, James Tearle.
Head of Academic Drama and Director of the show Mrs Antoinette Keylock said, “It has been an absolute pleasure working with this talented cast. With only four weeks of rehearsal, I have been impressed with their energy and passion for Berkoff. It is a challenging style of theatre to perform and the students really embraced the physical nature of the piece.”
Do have a read of this wonderfully written review by Upper Sixth Former Jamie Williams.
