Drama students at the International School of the Algarve presented three very entertaining examination pieces to an invited audience of parents, teachers and students recently. Each group devised and developed their own performance as part of their GCSE examination.
The first performance, Now We Are Three, was aimed at a younger audience and based around the witches’ contribution to the plot of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The witches, played by Sasquia Phillips-Fellgiebel, Angelina Kazakova and Rachel van Tillburg, presented three very eccentric and interesting characters. We followed their preparations for ‘the gathering’ on the heath where they meet Macbeth. The second play, Lost in Life, explored how three women, an alcoholic mother (Katherine Branco), her sister (Helen Bradley) and daughter (Emma Guerreiro) cope with the issues relating to alcohol abuse.
The final and largest group devised a thought-provoking performance, which looked beyond childhood games and explored how bullying can leave a lasting impression on the victim, affecting their self-esteem and mental wellbeing in later life. The six female roles, played by Vanessa Fortune, Moira Nicolson, Elaine Kense, Karla Ilori and Rachel Bainbridge, were all difficult and complex characters to play. The performance moved between Bella’s childhood and adult life in a psychiatric hospital. They created strong characters and explored serious issues with sensitivity and maturity. They must all be congratulated on their professional performances and we wish them well in the exam.
