THE SACKVILLE THEATRE SOCIETY : EXPLORING THEATRE AND PERFORMANCE
‘ People who lead a lonely existence always have something on their minds that they are eager to talk about .’
Anton Chekhov , A Doctor Visits ( 1898 )
With 2020 in the history books , the world certainly has a lot to talk about with regards to the lonely existence of lockdowns . The desire to come together , to be a collective and share is more palpable than ever . At Sevenoaks , the student community felt this strongly . Students would remark how they missed the chance to be with their peers and share the experience of learning . The desire to be a society again was a true one .
The arts have always brought society together , to share views and then move forward as one . In the Drama department , there has always been a vibrant mix of artistic views flying around a rehearsal room ; nothing gets students talking more than an engaging and challenging piece of art ! While theatres remained closed , we wanted to provide our students with a new chance to engage with theatre , and more importantly , each other , through discovery and a love of performance .
The newly formed Sackville Theatre Society aimed to do just that . Meeting on a weekly basis , this group is a collective of scholars and engaged students who have dedicated their academic and co-curricular lives to exploring theatre and performance .
Some meetings have seen us discussing major works by famous authors ( Chekhov , Wertenbaker , Pinter , to name a few ), engaging with professional theatre practitioners and coming together to experience theatre performances online , most recently a production of GECKO Theatre ’ s The Institute . But for all the name-dropping of prominent Russians and contemporary dance companies , the students have engaged deeply ; discussions have centred on the impact of emotional expression in shared choreography , the nature of reclaiming the female narrative and the use of design elements to reflect the inner struggle of a protagonist .
It is this engagement with art , through seeing the world through another ’ s eyes , that helps us to make sense of the ever-changing world . And this can only come about from experiencing art together .
Karl Niklas
54 DRAMA REVIEW