Last Tuesday, the English department took all year 10 and 11 students to the York Opera House to watch a production of Macbeth. This Shakespeare play is part of the GCSE English literature programme so all those students studying literature found the trip extremely useful, as well as entertaining.
The acting was superb and the choice to use the porter as the chorus was immensely helpful in really consolidating everything the students had learned.
“Set against a back-drop of wars, witchery and treasonous plotting, Shakespeare’s ambitious Macbeth remains ominously relevant in the 21st Century.”
And for all those not taking literature, as well as our English as an Additional Language (ESL) students, the whole thing was a wonderfully enriching cultural experience. The ESL class found the production helped with their understanding of the English language – many were surprised that they were able to follow the story. They could understand a lot more than they had anticipated. An exciting time was had by all.
Mr Thomas would like to thank Mrs Milner, Miss Havelock, and Mrs Jackson for their help in running the trip.
ESL Students Review The Experience & The Play
“Theatre is different in Korea, I liked Uk theatre though and watching a famous play was a great experience. I can’t understand all the play but I can understand some things like when Banquo comes back as a ghost” Kelly (South Korea)
“It wasn’t my first time in the theatre but I thought I wouldn’t understand because of the language barrier. I was shocked that I understood most of the play. It was really good because the actors can share emotions and atmosphere of the show.” Eva (Russia)
“Personally I liked the play. They had nice actors and there was a storyteller which made it easier to understand. I like the look of the theatre, there were decorations on the walls and balconies either side of the stage.” Maja (Germany)
“Macbeth is a play about kings, murdering and deceit. The play delivered that well with the addition of a character named Porter who was the narrator.” Isaac (Hong Kong)
“I think the witches were really cool. They performed on a high level, you could tell they acted they were in a trance and it was really convincing. My favourite parts were also the witch parts” Emilia (Germany)
“I liked the way they changed their voices according to the mood of the story. They didn’t have many actors so one person had to play two characters at a time!” Emma (Germany)
“My understanding of the story is power is a good thing it can let you control your future, but addiction can lead you to a very dangerous place.” John (China)