Brainstorm

The second half of the summer festival was the semi devised play ‘Brainstorm’.  Originally created by the Company Three Youth Theatre, the play consists of a ‘blueprint’ with scripted lines which explain the workings of a teenager’s brain.  The rest of the dialogue is devised by the performers themselves.  The result was a highly entertaining and thought-provoking piece which, due to its relatable and personalised nature, had the audience gripped throughout.  The 30 strong cast made up of students in Years 7-10 expertly controlled the emotions of their audience, making them laugh at the recognisable interactions and conversations that take place between parents and their offspring everywhere, before leaving them in tears with the overriding and highly emotive final message of the piece. The cast also dealt brilliantly with audience interaction – including a revealing game of ‘Never Have I Ever’! The play ends with the cast reading out unseen advice that the audience were asked to provide before the show and these, together with messages that the cast wanted to share with their parents, meant that there wasn’t a dry eye in the house by the curtain call. It’s safe to say that those watching and all of us involved in the creation of the piece, have a far deeper understanding of our relationships as a result of watching this brave and talented cast perform such a powerful piece of theatre. 

I would like to thank Mrs Warren and Mr Parker for all their help with the show – as well as Miss Watts who is always able to figure out those tricky movements where counting is involved!  Thanks also to the dedicated crew of students who stage managed and worked on lights, sound and projection and to everyone who stayed to watch.

If you missed this performance there will be a link sent out in due course – it won’t be as good as seeing it live, but it’s better than missing out entirely!

It’s been a busy year in the Drama department – from the Year 9 production of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ way back in February, the Year 10 production of ‘When This is Over’, GCSE and A Level Devised and Scripted Assessments and the junior production of ‘Matilda’. Brainstorm was a brilliant end to the 2021/2022 season. The Drama department can’t wait to do it all again next year!

Catherine Nash

Head of Drama