It was hard to envisage in September that our drama club sessions – acting out extracts , pretending to hunt pigs , and getting to know each other , would develop to become the fully fledged Year 9 play . However , from the day the script was sent out , to the final bow , there was a positive energy and enthusiasm surrounding the production ( even in lunchtime rehearsals ) that saw it gradually evolve .
I think my personal highlight ( other than the performances themselves ) must be the day everyone walked into the Sackville Theatre for rehearsals , only to find a stage set – and coated in mud ! It helped us to realise how real this was soon going to be , not to mention the sheer enjoyment of mucking around in it !
The first night of the show was filled with nervous excitement and the atmosphere backstage was electric . Luckily ( almost !) everything went to plan , and it was incredible to see that all the hard work and effort everyone had put in was finally paying off . However , nothing could prepare for the final night – we were all pretty exhausted after two high-energy performances , but adrenaline kicked in – especially when rumours spread among the cast of a possible celebrity guest , after Andrew Garfield was spotted in Sevenoaks that afternoon . He didn ’ t in the end turn up to the performance , which was sad – but very much his loss …
Being part of this production has been great – a real learning curve and , as a new joiner in Year 9 , it has been a good way to get to know people who also enjoy being involved in theatre .
A Year 9 cast embrace William Golding ’ s classic , with real mud and almost too much enthusiasm
Lord of the Flies : the descent of a group of schoolchildren into anarchy ... Luckily for our director , Mr Fielding , rehearsals didn ’ t imitate the book ’ s premise , and everyone worked incredibly hard to produce three amazing performances .
Well done to the whole cast , and particularly to the three leads , Marjolaine Mauduit ( Ruth ), Jess Robbens ( Piggy ), and Eva Wang ( Jacki ). Huge thanks to everyone behind the scenes who worked tirelessly to make sure everything ran smoothly – so much goes into a production , from the set to the props ( including spears , parachute and pig ’ s head ) to the lighting and sound effects – but especially to Mr Fielding , who gave up so much of his time to direct the play and put up with all of our terrible jokes and high energy , and who also showed us his amazing acting talent when standing in for anyone who couldn ’ t make it to rehearsals !
Theo Felton Smith , Year 9
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