Historical Drama

Wednesday 8th December 2010

Our play this year was The Ballad of Salomon Pavey – it was a resounding triumph enjoyed by all who had the pleasure of seeing the performances!

 

As I was preparing my thank you speech for the last night, I was aware that the boys in Year 8 had heard it all many times before. I was also aware that the boys on stage could probably have done a better job of the traditional vote of thanks from the Headmaster. Every year the play is different, but the vote of thanks is the same – so whilst everything changes some things remain the same.

 

It made me think about the wider lessons that can be learnt from school plays. Indeed, it made me realise that there is a certain continuity evident in our productions that shows something of what makes Aldwickbury a special place.

 

In 1970 the school play was Iolanthe, and the Fairy Queen was played by one of our current parents; I am sure that he got wonderful reviews! In 2003, my first year as Headmaster, his eldest son was involved in the school play – The Magnificent Dream Machine.  His youngest son, currently in Year 8, appeared in this year’s play. So some 43 years after his first school play we watched his son perform in his last Aldwickbury performance. Another parent who was sitting in the audience played Phoebe in The Yeoman of the Guard in 1978. The history of the school is important and I hope that the boys realise this. Who knows in a few years time one of the cast of The Ballad of Salomon Pavey will be sitting in the audience as a proud parent watching his son perform in another Aldwickbury school play!

 

And so my thanks, as always, were then given to all the adults who had done so much to help with this production. A very big vote of thanks was paid to the hard working back stage boys. It was very noticeable this year that the directors were watching from the audience, because they trusted the back stage crew to run the show! Of course, the boys who performed with such skill and enthusiasm were congratulated. They had made the audience laugh, they had made them cry and they had thoroughly entertained them!

 

Well done to everyone involved in Salomon Pavey! Important lessons are always learned from prep school plays and special memories are created on the stage.