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BackL6 Blog, House Drama review, Walters House
The coveted Tatton Shield for Best Play in House Drama was inaugurated in 1969 and won by School House. Forty years later, The House Drama Festival is stronger than ever, with a triumphant Walters House emerging as the assured winner for their sparkling production of 'The Wizard of Oz' in this year's House Drama Festival which took place in Big School on 26 November 2009.
Walters House’s production of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ was many months in the making. Blood, sweat, tears, ridiculous amounts of stage make-up and a lot of stress… but in the end it all came together with spectacular finesse. There was comedy, tragedy, stupidity, mishaps, spectacular costumes, wacky accents, screaming flying chimps and a cast of true thespians.
The final script bore little resemblance to the original, thanks to the play writing skills of James Kelly, and a large amount of making-it-up-as-we-go-along from the cast during rehearsals. The many quirks of the script, some of which only appeared during the dress rehearsal, ranged from quips about maths teachers’ names to light bulb collections!
An impressive amount of rehearsal time went to the final performance . Some were productive, some were frustrating, some were (shush) boring but most were just good fun. Regular sweets supplies from Mr Allegro kept spirits high, and despite all the difficulties we made it to the night of House drama!
The cast consisted of members from the entire school: the main characters were played by fourth, fifth and sixth formers. Harriet Nuttall and Joanna Day shared the role of Dorothy, with beautifully made matching costumes, courtesy of Mrs Nuttall! Maebh Worthing played the Lion with impeccable timing, presence and… cuteness. Liz Coase made for a hilarious, albeit reluctant, Tin Man, with a truly impressive costume. Joe Bateson brought much to his portrayal of the scarecrow, namely amusing voices and sheer comedy value. James Kelly played… well, several roles, including Uncle Henry, the Wicked Witch of the West and the voice of the Wizard of Oz. Perhaps most loved was his American accent and fetching black dress when playing the witch. Bailey Daniel’s authentic Australian accent was perfect for the part of the Wizard of Oz, complete with cork hat and can of Fosters. Emma Tate’s Good Witch of the North was played with a northern accent and packet of cigarettes. Millie Allegro and Katie Bamber were matching Russian guards… it was hard to decide which was better: the fluffy hats or Russian accents? Narrator Fred Joyce and Andrew Crowther looked dapper in their tuxedos. And then there was the myriad of extras that played both flying chimps and munchkins, led by Ed Hedley and the (slightly evil) twins Chester and Elliot.
Of course, the backstage crew worked tirelessly to ensure a smooth running of the play: they were led by Eleanor Barrett, stage manager.
The adjudicator said: "The level of performance was high across the Houses, but the Walters actors were particularly well-rehearsed. A simple play was therefore elevated to a polished performance with admirable pace and great attention to detail.”
Neil gave a joint award of the Kane Cup for Best Individual Acting Performance to Jenny Horsthuis (Dickson) and Harriet Nuttall (Walters). The Bowring Cup for Best Supporting Role was won by Freddy Hall from Dickson. The Bowring Plate for Technical Excellence also went to Walters House.
Well done to everyone involved and a big thank you to Andy for directing so fantastically! Here’s to next year and another Walters victory!!!
Caitriona Cox, L6
