30 pupils from Year 9 visited the Questors Theatre in Ealing recently to watch a production of Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth.’ All Year 9 boys are studying the text in class as preparation for their English GCSE examination, so this local production was a wonderful opportunity to see the play in its original intended form as a live performance.  Ms Feenstra’s class had a particularly productive lesson the next day, discussing the staging, acting, set design and director’s choices. The entire production gave Gunnersbury pupils an invaluable insight into how soliloquies are performed on stage, and brought the nuance, beauty and drama of Shakespeare’s language alive. Here is a review from Nile Kirke (9 Pole) :

‘Written in the Jacobean era, ‘Macbeth’ is a challenging read; having the opportunity to follow the plot in visual form was extremely beneficial to our understanding of the play.  We all thoroughly enjoyed the performance and agreed that the actors played their roles exceptionally well.  Shakespeare plays often have a reputation of being fairly overdramatic and ‘dull’ for teenagers, however ‘Macbeth’ has been an excellent choice of play to study.  The set design and staging were original, with realistic lighting and powerful sound effects; the performance we watched combined horror, humour and excitement to create an all-round excellent experience.’