After an absence of three years, St Mary's, in the guise of Twisted Tales, returned to perform at the world's largest arts festival in Edinburgh. The school's entry to the Fringe was the moving and engaging play Second Person Narrative by Jemma Kennedy.

The Drama Department finished the year on a high with the first proper Junior Musical in three years, with Oliver! Jr, a shortened, punchy version of the Lionel Bart classic. Dividing the play into two, with MIVE handling the first half and MIVW the second, and the LIV providing sterling support, worked an absolute treat, providing us with twice the number of standout performers!

The LV Drama cohort produced work that was memorable, inventive and thought-provoking for their devised performances.

The LVI Drama cohort are certainly making up for lost time in seeing lots of shows – after the terrific experience of last month’s Jerusalem, the class were confronted with some genuinely strange drama with Figs In Wigs' version of Little Wimmin.

Just before Half Term, the A Level LVI class presented their powerful devised play 'Six of Clubs' to an audience of peers, parents and staff.

Fifth and Sixth Form Drama students recently made a trip to the West End to see one of the most groundbreaking and important plays of recent years, Jez Butterworth's modern classic 'Jerusalem', starring Mark Rylance and Mackenzie Crook. 

This year’s UIV production, performed in our Delscey Burns Theatre this year, didn’t fail to provide a very professional and entertaining theatrical experience, much enjoyed by the audience of parents who attended on Monday night.

On the morning of Tuesday 15th February, we were pleased to welcome back Onatti Productions Ltd to St Mary’s Calne. They entertained our UIV-LVI Spanish students with the live Spanish play En el Campamento.

On 11th Feburary, UV enjoyed a trip to Stratford-upon-Avon to see Much Ado About Nothing in the Royal Shakespere Theatre. Three girls, Deborah, Tashy and Hannah, give us their reviews of the play and consider the themes covered.

Last week the UV Drama group presented their performance pieces for their final Drama Exam.

Over two sessions this month, RSC and TV actor Clarence Smith, a friend of the school through his BLM talk and Golden Lilies presentations, worked with LVI and UVI Drama students to explore the style and ‘feel’ of classic American drama.

Last weekend our Drama Scholars from UIV to UVI gathered as an ensemble, to create a piece of physical theatre. On the evening of Friday 26th November, Dance and Drama Specialist, Miss Robyn Caldwell, led them through a teambuilding workshop, working on developing a physical language as a group and considering the stimulus: Don't Ask Jack, a short story by Neil Gaiman.