Audiences gathered over three spectacular nights to delight in the story of Romeo and Juliet set against a backdrop of a fictional, post-apocalyptic war-ravaged 1985. Shakespeare’s famous story was played out by a hugely talented cast of boys from Bedford School, and girls from Bedford Girls’ School and Mark Rutherford Secondary School. This powerful rendition came to an end on Saturday night to a rapturous applause.

This was no ordinary production of Shakespeare’s famous story of love, rivalry, obsession and death. It was haunting, arousing and eerie, yet the characters came across with warmth and feeling. It is hard to believe that this was performed by school children; the production, music, lighting and acting were awe-inspiring, inspirational and quite sublime.  

Head of Academic Drama, Antoinette Keylock said, “All three performances of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ were outstanding. This production effectively conveyed the Shakespearean language with maturity and fluidity. I am immensely proud of all the cast and thoroughly delighted with the end result. The feedback from staff and the wider community has been overwhelmingly positive. The project was a real collaborative effort by the whole department and I would like to thank Mr Rooke and Mr Bantock for their beautiful music score.”

The making of this was no easy ride for our young actors. Back in November, we had to slightly recast the show due to unforeseen circumstances. The cast however stood to the challenge and showed copious amounts of commitment and resilience, with a constant yearning to portray this story perfectly. And they certainly did that. From spaced-out dancing to convincing fight scenes, to the sound of a gun-shot that penetrated the to the core of the audience at that tragic end, the production was a masterpiece.

Bravo to everyone involved in this production, it really was outstanding.  

Gallery of photos

 

Back to all news