Congratulations go to all girls in the UIV (Year 9) who came joint first with the Royal High School, Bath, in the Latin Play Festival hosted by Bristol Grammar School on 28th June. Owing to the pandemic, this competition was unlike any other, but where there is a will, there is a way! Rather than act their plays in BGS’s theatre, all schools were asked to send in a video entry. Inspired by Natalie Haynes’ recent novel, A Thousand Ships, the St Mary’s team decided to present a host of ancient heroines, introduced by Calliope – a rather reluctant muse of Epic poetry - who was fed up with singing the praises of the likes of Achilles, and preferred instead to immortalise the great unsung women of that mythical age.
During the event itself, hosted via Teams, we were treated to a great range of plays including, one of Aesop’s fables (The Tortoise and the Hare), Echo and Narcissus, Pyramus and Thisbe, stories from the Cambridge Latin Course and an adaptation of Odyssey X, Ulysses and Circe. The judges were impressed by the spoken Latin, drama, interpretation and creativity of all the entries, and commended the St Mary’s UIV in particular for their excellent Latin pronunciation and committed performances. Special mention should also go to Rosie, who stepped in to play an extra role at the last minute, and Mia, who was entirely responsible for her slick and professional filming and production.