Our Grand Day Out in London - November 2023

London is peppered with portals into previous worlds although predictably there are only traces of William Shakespeare’s world left.  Exploring the life of Shakespeare is a little like a detective story too - we know so little about him, apart from him being the most famous writer who ever lived (probably) and he was (undoubtedly) an explorer of the human heart.  We know him through his plays but is this a true portrayal of Shakespeare as a person?  So one wintry day in December Years 7 & 8 jumped on a train to London to see what they could discover about this enigmatic man who changed the world.

We do know that Shakespeare was born into turbulent times, a time of revolution and religious conflict.  But times of revolution are also times of opportunity.  And as one Dolphin student Lawrence Chonavel said, a few years ago, It was a crucible of creativity where ordinary people were beginning to think for themselves and question their place in the world.  This monumental change in people’s attitudes, brought about by great advancements in public education and the translation of many religious services into English, opened people’s minds and fuelled the masses’ desire for new plays and theatre. Exactly.

Our first stop on this grand day out was a visit to the recently (relatively speaking) reconstruction of the Globe Theatre on the South Bank.  We wondered what Shakespeare might make of his theatre if he were to time travel to this London of 2024; it might be one of the few buildings in London that he would vaguely recognise. After all it was carefully researched and constructed using the same materials that craftsmen in the 16th century would have used, (with the notable exception of the water sprinklers on the thatched roof!)

As we contemplated the stage we considered the challenges of performing on it, both in Shakespeare’s day and for our actors today.  Shreeya notes that there wasn’t really any set so you have to work a lot harder to create an atmosphere.  Zac notes that because it is an outdoor theatre more sound is absorbed so you have to project your voices even more; he adds, and it’s cold.  Vivaan follows this up by stating that the weather can change unfavourably.  Very true. Jannah observes that because it’s a rounded stage the actors have to make sure they make eye contact with all of the audience.  Another challenge for both actor and director.

After our tour of the theatre and on our way to a Drama workshop, we walked through various streets noting the names: the Bear Gardens and Bear Lane where the popular Elizabethan sport of bear baiting would have taken place.  Southwark Cathedral is a stone’s throw from the Globe Theatre, where Shakespeare’s brother was buried and we gazed into a pub called The George on Borough Hill High Street where Shakespeare allegedly drank.  

After an energetic workshop on ‘Macbeth’ run by an actor from the Globe Theatre and a predictably delicious meal at Pizza Express, we made our way to the Royal National Theatre to watch the world premiere of Roald Dahl’s The Witches, the musical.  We all agreed that the director was successful in creating fear in the audience; Serena commenting that all of the sound effects really made the audience jump.  Emma added that the animation of the screaming girl at the beginning of the show was very scary and reminded me of that painting of ‘The Scream’ by Edvard Munch.

Travelling back home very late on the train Years 7 & 8 agreed that we had had a grand day out and when could we go again?