The Show Must Go On!

“The show must go on!” Never has this old adage been more appropriate! With three out of a cast of sixteen absent through illness and other cast members reading in for them, this term’s hugely successful senior drama production of “The Roses of Eyam” went ahead regardless, much to the approval of the audience.

The play, which tells the true story of the plague in the tiny Derbyshire village of Eyam in 1665, was staged as an immersive production with the audience entering the auditorium via the labyrinthine corridors backstage which were dimly lit by torchlight and they were seated close to the action to create an intense, intimate and unsettling atmosphere.

The performance itself was hugely committed, mature and intense and the feedback from the audience was rich with superlatives. The performances required great concentration from all of the cast as they were onstage the whole time and, when not speaking, they were staring menacingly at the audience as they twitched and scratched. This was a truly ensemble production with all the actors performing all the time with word echoes, chants, nursery rhymes to underscore the dialogue and discomforting physical imagery.

One parent commented “I have seen many excellent productions at QA over the years but this was the best” and Senior Deputy Head Mark Richards said “a very power production. Excellent”.