Under the setting sun in a relaxed outdoor setting, our Goodfellow Quad was again the Globe Theatre for 50 of our young thespians who came together to perform scenes from a selection of Shakespeare’s play.
Shake the Quad, our College’s annual Festival of Shakespeare, is the first Performing Arts event for the year that gives drama students from Years 9 to 13 the opportunity to perform their Shakespearean work to a live audience. Indeed, we were fortunate to proceed with a live performance following the postponement of our Senior School musical, and the easing of Covid restrictions allowing for a larger gathering in the court.
Head Boy Archie Manning and Deputy Head Girl Arwyn Stevens played host, entertaining guests with clever ad lib commentaries and sense of humour. The College Jazz Orchestra kick-started the evening with a series of performances before the cast of Coriolanus took the stage for the opening act.
It is encouraging to see our students immerse themselves in the over 400-year-old work, improvising and reflecting on the contemporary setting, and drawing relevance to the realities of the day. In the last play for the night, the cast of The Taming of the Shrew reconnected us with the classic work where gender and courtship were given a fresh interpretation with a tempestuous exchange of wordplay between the two players.
Showcasing extracts from 10 plays, students took part as cast members, directors, and work behind the scenes to ensure costumes and props are at hand for the show. This year, several students took on numerous roles across scenes and put forth their creative best with improvisions on time, place or costume, while keeping lines spoken true to Shakespeare’s words.
There was an eclectic mix of genres from comedy and history to tragedy; from As You Like It to Macbeth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Comedy of Errors, Coriolanus, Pericles and Henry V, every scene was carefully delivered whether it was the youngest of our students making their first foray into Shakespeare’s work or our seasoned actors taking command of the stage.
It was evident that plenty of rehearsals went in leading up to show night, with significant planning to ensure scenes were completely set for a great night of Shakespeare. Each performance was a joy to watch, and we were pleased to see so many students from all year levels come together to celebrate their passion for Shakespeare.
Congratulations to the cast and crew for an amazing performance. Well done!
| 2022 Shake the Quad | |||
| Play | Directed by | Cast | |
| Coriolanus – Act I, Sc i | Romans are rioting against their rulers for hoarding grains while the common people starve. On their march, the mob meets Menenius who claims the senate has their best interest at heart. | Ms Sara Standring | Charles Adams Tory Alves Flood Ryan Burgoyne Freddie Gardner Toby McLean Alexander Dunn Chloe Miller Cara-Jane Rewcastle Sean Trombitas Keith Wiltshire Keeley Berkovits |
| Richard III – Act I, scene iv | Richard, a power-hungry Duke, hired two assassins to murder his older brother to take the throne. As the murderers approached, the banter about morality. | Mackenzie Alley and Aimee Watson | Francesca Price Gem Williams Lucy Street |
| Macbeth – Act V, sc i | The doctor and his gentlewomen are concerned with Lady Macbeth’s wellbeing as she descends into madness. | Ruby and Emily Haddon | Olivia Hallett Ada Hu Emma Wang Amelia Evangelidakis |
| A Midsummer Night’s Dream –
Various scenes |
King Oberon and Queen Titania of the fairies quarrel over a changeling boy. Chaos ensures as the king enchants Titania to fall in love with an ass. | Ms Jane Larsen | Aimee Watson Justin Gao Jacob Johnston Chloe Miller Henry Lang Sarah Wang Mackenzie Alley Keeley Berkovits Cara-Jane Rewcastle |
| The Comedy of Errors – Act IV, sc iv | After Adriana’s husband, Antipholus and his servant, Dromio, have been acting strange, she calls a wizard to exorcise them | Melody Lui-Webster and Alex Lambert | Milly Macleod Oliver Shaw Violet Taylor Jake Newbould Jarvis Cowper |
| Twelfth Night – Act I, sc iii | A drunk Sir Andrew makes a fool of himself when he flirts with and tries to seduce Maria, Lady Olivia’s waiting gentlewoman. | Devon Banks and Matt Parkinson | Keeley Berkovits Freddie Gardner Natan Chadzynski |
| Henry V – Act IV, | Rallying his outmanned forces before a great battle, Henry’s words and the effects of war echo through time. | Dr Jamie Sneddon | Oliver Barclay Natan Chadzynski Jaime Chandler Oliver Evans Jay Sneddon Keeley Berkovits Alex Cole Matthew Ball Tague Bradley |
| As You Like It – Act I, sc ii | Orlando defeats Charles in a wrestling match. A scene is caused, however, when the game’s overseer, Duke Frederick, discovers the identity of Orlando’s father. | Chloe Miller and Natan Chadzynski | Tim Bacchus Sophie Ward Annabelle Olsen Chloe Miller Freddie Gardner Samiya Rama Natan Chadzynski Charlie Bain Carter Stokes |
| Pericles – Act 1, sc ii | Cleon, the Governor of Tarus, attempts to undo his wife’s actions to have their daughter, Dionyza, killed by a contract killer, Leonine. | Jacob Attwood and Oliver Evans | Mackenzie Alley Oliver Evans Jay Sneddon Jacob Johnston Sarah Wang |
| The Taming of the Shrew – Act II, sc i | Gender and courtship are reimagined to offer a fresh perspective on patriarchy as Petruchio and Katherine face off in an explosive bout of ‘romantic’ wordplay. | Yarden Kellerman and Cast | Devon Banks Matt Parkinson Jonathan McCabe Melody Lui-Webster Alex Lambert Emily Haddon Ruby Haddon |
