Leighton Park School – Madness and murder at the circus for Senior Production ‘Woyzeck’!
22 Feb 2017
On 8th – 10th February we saw a truly unique performance, both in venue as guests gathered in a brilliant bright red circus tent, as well as in theatrical exploration as performers contrasted the murderous plot of ‘Woyzeck’ with the cheerful frivolity of a circus setting.
Leighton Park’s new Head of Drama, Peter Scoggins, had the challenging task of creating a special environment for the production due to ongoing building works for our brand new state of the art Music and Media Centre, which is due to be completed spring 2018. “It has been an absolute joy to direct and design this performance and I have to say a special thank-you to everyone who has helped to make it happen. The young people of Leighton Park created something very special – theatre that seeks to explore something of the world that surrounds us and which also transports us somewhere else.” comments Peter.
‘Woyzeck’ is a dark play originally set in a small 19th century German garrison town, however, for the school’s production the setting of ‘Woyzeck’ was transported to a small travelling run-down circus at the start of the 20th century. Performers in the production experienced a variety of outings and workshops to inspire them with how to understand the unusual setting and devise their own circus scenes. Trips included spending an evening at the Circus Starr big top in Woodley where students got to see dangerous feats of acrobatics and strength accompanied by humour, as well as a workshop with Peter Wintercane from Big Top Mania. Students learned how to perform slapstick comedy and various circus acts to help them devise scenes for audience participation.
Despite the fun circus elements, the tragic central focus of the play remained intact as Christian exceptionally portrayed the down-trodden and inarticulate Franz Woyzeck as he descended into madness. Christian commented being involved in the play, “Taking part in the school production was a great learning experience for me. Playing the disturbed Woyzeck was probably the hardest thing I’ve had to do as an actor but the feeling of achievement afterwards made all the work worthwhile and despite the pressure and stress, I thoroughly enjoyed taking part.”
“The whole cast’s performance was remarkable in portraying the calamitous story of poverty, human suffering and violence, juxtaposed with the frequent light-hearted jovial circus scenes. What appeared an unusual combination for theatre was executed as an incredible demonstration of the talent at Leighton Park, as well as an unforgettable and exciting setting for the play in a unique theatre venue.” Nigel Williams, Head, commented.
Vladislav, who played Andres, Woyzeck’s friend and confidant, reveals the difficult demands for the production due to the unconventional location: “Performing in a circus tent was interesting experience because we had a few complications with space and the acoustics on our way to the final performance but I would be prepared to go through that journey again and again just to experience that incredible feeling of accomplishment after the curtain call!”
Students from Year 9 to the Upper Sixth contributed to the technical crew, the band, costumes and make-up over the three night run and received a monumental round of applause for all of their dedication and hard work. This year has proven to showcase another memorable Senior Production and demonstrate the abundance of talent throughout the school.