On the 8th of August, the Year 10 Drama class was given the opportunity to take a trip to the Black Swan Theatre for a workshop to help us with our upcoming performance of Mmmbeth.

The first thing we did when we arrived was a tour of the theatre. We were taken to the front of the seating area and heard about the history of the theatre. Then we went backstage, where we saw how the props and backdrops worked. We also visited the cast dressing rooms and saw photos of famous actors and actresses who had performed there.

After the tour, we made our way into a rehearsal room. We were introduced to a woman named Asha, who walked us through various drills to help with voice work, accents, and acting skills. These included activities like saying Shakespearean insults to each other and moving around the room while leading with different parts of our bodies. We then applied these skills while rehearsing a scene from our script.

Later, we met a man named Jake, who helped us with costume design. One activity involved exploring different ways to use costume elements, such as imagining a piece was extremely heavy or difficult to control. He then gave us some characters from our play, and we designed costumes for each of them.

Overall, it was a fantastic experience, and we all learned valuable skills that will help us improve our performance and make our play even more enjoyable.

By Ava Lewis Year 10