GREENLAND
Greenland , a 2010 play on environmental themes written as a composite narrative by four writers , was chosen , pre-pandemic , as the Middle School production .
Eschewing didactic monologues on the importance of responding to climate breakdown , the play delves into personal stories of struggle to understand our place in the ever-changing world of climate science . Exploring activism , the importance of truthful information , and our self-importance as a species , the play felt relevant and engaging , even a decade after it was written .
With the institution of year group bubbles due to Covid-19 , the cast was split into a Year 9 ensemble who began to devise scenes around the original source material for 2020 , while the Year 10 cast developed a different narrative by retelling the play in its original setting of the early 21st century . The split was intended to help view the past and future from the same focal point , a Schrödinger ’ s cat-style problem of ‘ could have been and will be ’. How little we knew that this phrase would penetrate deep into the very fabric of how the project was made . Each cast began to explore the play through a traditional actor-led process . Three of the student actors describe their experience of developing their roles , which they continued throughout lockdown , experimenting with filmmaking and writing to enrich the experience .
Playing Lisa ( 1 )
Karl Niklas
I played Lisa , a role that was split into two and shared with Imogen Scott-Smith . Participating in the show was an amazing experience and helped enhance my acting skills and my awareness of the issue targeted in this play . Imogen and I , playing two versions of the same character , looked in depth into the connection between our two portrayals and explored different ways that allowed each personality to take control in specific scenes . Our connection taught me that there is more to a play than the script and that often there is a lot more subtext behind the lines than first meets the eye .
Overall , this project has completely changed the way that I think about the issues surrounding climate change and the environment . It has made me much more aware of my surroundings and the fact that we have got to make more people my age aware of the situation as it is our generation who are going to end up dealing with the consequences .
Playing Lisa ( 2 )
Olivia De Pury , Year 10
I played the more wary , compassionate side of Lisa . It was a great experience for me as an actor to work out how we swap between these two sides ; in certain scenes where one part of her was more dominant , this part played the main role , while the other watched and stepped in during moments more suited to their side .
A second lockdown in the middle of rehearsals presented the cast with new opportunities to explore the play and their roles . Olivia and I enjoyed writing a scene between the two sides of Lisa where she decides whether she should leave her university course . Through character improvisations , we delved deeper into what separates the two sides and how they respond to making an important life decision . It was very interesting in this scene to make clear that these two were not separate characters and we achieved this by mirroring each other ’ s actions in some moments in the scene , showing us as a united character .
Imogen Scott-Smith , Year 10
50 DRAMA REVIEW