Blue Beard Theatre Trip for A level Drama Students
Year 12 and 13 Drama students travelled to Battersea Arts Centre this week to watch multi-award-winning Emma Rice’s adaptation of the classic tale, Blue Beard. Ms Mayes reported that she could not articulate how remarkable it was, but hearing the discussions on the bus and back at School the following day, everyone realised they had witnessed something truly special.
You can hear more about the play in our report from Year 12’s Xander.
Year 12’s Xander
Directed by Emma Rice, Blue Beard left audiences in shock and, in my case at least, tears.
I was lucky enough to accompany A level Drama students on 23 April to London’s Battersea Arts Centre to watch Emma Rice’s powerful musical re-imagining of Blue Beard.
This latest Wise Children production seemed to tie together multiple stories that made us laugh, cry and reel with horror.
The folktale of Blue Beard, the serial wife murderer (played wonderfully by Tristan Sturrock), was retold with Rice’s characteristic blend of humour, wit, and theatrical flair. However, this time it was intertwined with a much darker commentary about the dangers women face from violent, predatory men in modern society, a storyline which at the climax of the show left the audience speechless with horror.
One standout performance was that of Katy Owen, whose portrayal of the bereft mother stunned the audience with a grief and fury so tangible it was impossible not to share some part of it.
