Category: Woodbridgian Weekly
Last week our Junior, U14A and U14B Hockey teams were in action! With news of their matches and our players, read more in our reports.
Junior Matches
Last Wednesday we had our first full block of Junior Hockey matches, playing with all six teams against Norwich School. This brought two challenges – almost 60 excited Hockey players travelling to Magpies on some windy country roads; and the Hockey challenge ahead against a very tough opponent. Last season saw Norwich School dominate the block with four wins, two draws and only one win going Woodbridge School’s way. Can we turn it around? Yes, we can!
After some unforeseen transport delays, our teams made a rushed arrival at Harleston Magpies and had to get warmed-up sharpish. They did this with great focus and professionalism to get us underway almost on time and not lose any playing time.
The Junior 1s match started with a bit of a blow in the second minute when a transfer pass resulted in an interception and clear route to goal for Norwich. They put this chance away to take an early lead. This only spurred the team on and from then Woodbridge controlled the ball, played beautiful expansive Hockey and peppered the Norwich goal, only to be denied by their GK. Norwich struggled to cope with the speed and aggressive play of Year 7’s Sofia and Year 8’s Chloe who created lots of turnover and exciting attacking plays. Year 8’s Martha was also influential in her leading and pressing while Year 8 Captain, Matilda did a great job controlling the centre of the pitch. Year 8 goalkeeper, Najma made some excellent saves to counter the early goal and keep Woodbridge in the game, fighting for a win they really deserved for their play. Year 8’s Juno and Year 7’s Lily were composed defenders, distributing well and clearing away any danger after good interceptions and strong tackles. Year 7’s Issy worked tirelessly at right midfield, varying her actions and choices on the ball well, which makes a player very difficult to defend. Woodbridge kept pushing but just could not get their goal. And then, with time running out and only seconds remaining, Issy posted up for a pass from the defence, followed by an attacking roll out to feed the ball down the right side-line for Sofia. Receiving in space and running at speed she drove the baseline, drawing defenders in and then putting the ball across the goal, where Chloe arrived at just the right time to get the touch to redirect the ball into the tiniest gap in the goal! Such joy for a draw that feels like a win – for the quality of play the team produced and their never-give-up attitude! Player of the Match was jointly awarded to Chloe and Sofia.
An overall great performance by the Junior 2s against Norwich School. Playing with confidence, supporting each other, giving space on the pitch and executing chances were the names of the game and the whole team played so well! Woodbridge dominated from start to finish, scoring wonderful team goals at regular intervals and simply proving technically and tactically superior to their U13B opponents. Goal scorers were Year 8’s Katherine (2) and Ava, and Year 7’s Florence and Coco. Special mentions to Year 7’s Chloe Y who sees the space so well, Year 8’s Grace for her first time shot on goal and Ava for always working hard. Player of the Match was awarded to Coco, always in the right place at the right time and doing her roles as a forward excellently.
A massive well done to the Junior 1s and 2s who turned around our fortunes against Norwich from last season. Two heavy losses with 10 goals conceded, turned into a win and a draw and a very positive goal difference in Woodbridge School’s favour. Credit to our students who always work so hard to be the best they can be.
The Junior 3s were frustrated in their two-goal loss but remained resolute in our process to play modern rolling-sub Hockey to give maximum play time to all members of the team. “You don’t lose if you are learning”, and we have taken a lot from the game to keep improving as individuals and a team. Our goal was scored by Year 8’s Elodie while Player of the Match was awarded to Year 7’s Lucy.
The Junior 4 girls started brightly, attacking the right with Year 8’s Abigail and Ellie providing the service up that wing. The players worked hard to get into an effective press and won the ball back many times high up the pitch but couldn’t connect with the final ball into the D. After going down halfway through the first half, they regrouped and when Year 8’s Izzy S-C was put through on goal; she made no mistake with the touch past the keeper. All even at half time, the girls were positive and ready to go again in the second half. They had the majority of the ball and pressure but were undone 30 seconds from the end with a pinball style goal finally breaching the defence. A tough loss but lots of learning and positives to take away.
It was a great game for our Junior 5 team, which saw the ball move down the right a lot with passes wide as well as forward. The team pressed well to win the ball high up the pitch and create plenty of shots at goal; these were much more successful once they were into the corners of the goal. Confidence improved for all players as the game progressed and they all played a part in winning this game! Well done to Year 8’s Maddie who was named Player of the Match.
After a long journey to Magpies the Junior 6 team warmed up well and were ready to play as soon as the whistle went. They pressed the ball from the off and quickly gained possession. The forwards passed the ball effectively and managed to cause quite a few problems in the D for Norwich. After a few near misses from Year 7’s Lola D and Tweel, Year 7’s Lola M managed to find the goal despite some excellent goalkeeping from the Norwich GK. Two more goals were scored by Lola M and Year 8’s Iyla respectively, demonstrating a desire to push up the pitch and attack. The midfield of Year 7’s Jess, Tweel and Lola D worked hard when defending and distributing the ball well out to the wings. There were some lovely passages of play which included well-rehearsed set pieces from a long corner. Year 7’s Maisie and Year 8’s Poppy E were solid in defence, tracking the ball effectively and communicating clearly with Year 8’s Poppy B in goal. The second half brought another goal each from Lola D and Iyla. A very pleasing whole team performance, resulting in another convincing win and showing the depth of our Junior players. Well done to Iyla who was awarded Player of the Match.
Woodbridge U14A and U14B vs RHS
On Thursday last week the Year 9 players in the U14A and U14B teams played against RHS.
The U14A team showed how much they have learned since the County Cup, despite a changes in the team. The team settled on the 3-4-3 structure but experimented with some changed personnel in various positions. This proved successful and the team outlet and passed through the midfield with more success, freedom and creativity. The midfield players of Jasmine, Kirsty, India and Rebecca worked tirelessly and was so impressive both in and out of possession. Ella in a new centre back role controlled things so well and looked undeterred by most things that came her way while Alexandra found space on the right to attack with more flare and use her athleticism well. Issy really impressed with her work as left defender. Imogen M made a real impact when she took the pitch up front and lead the forward line and many attacks. Woodbridge played confident and constructive Hockey, trying to move the ball through the lines; they had to keep mentally in the game to manage the more direct and hard hitting style of play from the opposition. Unfortunately Woodbridge just could not get their forwards away enough and despite a number of efforts at goal and half chances just could not get their goal. A few minutes from the end Woodbridge somehow thwarted a sure breakaway goal, only to get the blow of a last-minute winner against them a few minutes later. A loss but a victory really for the play shown, knowledge shown and the desire from each player. The team got much better in their press, outletting and midfield play which allows the focus to shift onto forward leading and getting into those important spaces higher up the pitch. Player of the Match was a difficult choice, with four players being consistently outstanding – well done to Rebecca, India, Jasmine and Ella.
A first match for the U14B team against RHS at Ipswich Hockey Club Tuddenham Road pitch, and they gelled from the outset, connecting passes and following tactics to protect the middle and pushing the RHS attackers wide. Going down an early goal was a wakeup call as we started passing to the right, Mariella carrying into the D culminating in scoring a wonderful strike from Cecily just before half time. In the second half, Woodbridge dominated proceedings and were rewarded with a short corner from which captain, India B scored a brilliant strike into the corner. For the rest of the match, the defence held strong with Maizie distributing confidently out to the wings, Honor was a terrier in the D and the team came together to win their first match this year. Player of the Match was shared by Maizie and India B.
After half term we will report on how our Junior 1s got on at the U13 County Cup and the Year 7A team at the U12 County Cup.
Last week, Sixth Form Drama students had the pleasure of taking part in a workshop run by the amazing Frantic Assembly. Sharing her thoughts and experience of the day, read our report from Year 13’s Georgia.
“Our external facilitator Steve instantly created an energetic yet comforting atmosphere for us to embrace. He provided us with various physical activities that would influence our practical pieces that we are soon to embark on.
One of my favourites was ‘family portrait’ in which a group of us would create a sequence of six images around a row of chairs, each position capturing a different freeze frame. This fast-paced exercise reduced overthinking and made some excellent stories within the pictures.
Overall, this workshop pushed our imagination skills and encouraged us to adapt to new challenges quickly.
Thank you to the Drama department for this wonderful opportunity and we cannot wait for more to come. “
Our Equestrian team were at Beechwood Equestrian Show at the end of September, and more recently at the Barleylands Equestrian Show, both qualifiers for Addington. You can read more about these events and our riders in our reports from our Equestrian Coach Jake below.
Beechwood Equestrian
Woodbridge School riding team had a fantastic day at Beechwood Equestrian Show on Sunday 28 September.
Our 70-75cm team consisted of Year 8’s Tati, Daisy and Kirsty, and Year 10’s Avery. They all jumped clear rounds to finish in second place.
The 80-85 Team took forward Daisy, Grace, Avery and Kirsty as a Team who Won the class! Kirsty finished in 4th place individually and Tati finished 5th.
We then had two individual riders in the 90-95cm. The class was won by Year 11’s Zac with Year 10’s Grace finishing in 4th place; both qualifying as individuals. Zac then went on to win the 1m class too.
An incredible day for our Equestrian team, well done everyone.
Barleylands Equestrian Show
A fantastic day was spent with all of our riders, competing at the NSEA Equestrian Show at Barleylands on Sunday 5 October. The team had a fantastic weekend at their last Championship qualifier of the year.
Our riders started the day off with the 70-75 Team Jumping with Style (JWS). The team took forward Tati, Daisy, Avery and Kirsty finishing in 1st place and qualifying as a team. Alongside this success, Daisy finished in 4th place taking an individual place to the championships and Tati finished in 5th.
Avery then competed in the 80-85cm Showjumping class with a fantastic double clear to finish in 5th.
Next was our 80-85cm JWS Qualifier. The Team consisted of Year 11’s Harry, with Tati, Kirsty and Daisy, and a team 1st qualified them for Championships, with Tati finishing 2nd and Kirsty taking 4th place meaning they both qualified as individuals too.
Riders then went on to the 90-95cm Showjumping qualifier, taking forward Harry, Grace and Zac. The Team finished in 1st place again taking a spot at the Championships; with Harry finishing in 3rd place and taking the individual placing, while Zac placed 5th with Grace in 6th.
Our last class of the day was the 90-95 JWS Qualifier and our team comprised of Grace, Zac and Harry. The team once again finished in 1st place taking another ticket to compete at the Championships. Individually, Harry won the class, Grace finished 3rd with Zac following in 4th place; all three of those riders taking an individual placing to the Championships.
An absolutely superb day and one all our riders can be proud of – and feel excited about!
We look forward to taking teams forward to Addington Championships in a couple of weeks and wish all the riders and horses the very best of luck!
It has been a busy start to term with numerous Rugby fixtures being played, including our Senior XV playing Ipswich High School, and our U16s playing Framlingham. Our report below shares news of those matches and our players.
Woodbridge Senior XV vs Ipswich High School
Earlier this week the Senior 1st XV played against Ipswich High school.
Our 1st XV dominated the first half of the game running in some fantastic tries including a great hard running line by Year 11’s Charlie in the midfield, who scored under the posts and a first half hat-trick by Year 12’s Arthur on the wing.
The second half was an end-to-end affair with lots of substitutions and students playing in different positions; with new combinations on the Woodbridge side. Ipswich tested our defence with more possession and a few penalties led to us conceding twice. However, the team bounced back and finished strong to see out the game with a comfortable victory and total of ten tries, including a brace from Prop Forward, Year 13’s George.
A great start to the season and well done to all involved!
Woodbridge U16 vs Framlingham
The U16s had their first fixture of the season, two weeks back away to Framlingham.
We started the game strong going up 7-0 after only a few minutes. The teams were very evenly balanced with there only being one score between the sides for the majority of the game.
We dominated field position throughout, however we struggled to convert as often as needed when in the opposition 22.
Some fantastic individual performances with demonstrations of leadership from captain, Year 11’s Liam and Player of the Match award going to Year 11’s Oli M who showed great game management and awareness in hinge moments.
The U16s narrowly missed out, losing 34-22. A great performance and shame to miss out on the result on the day.
Well done to all who played a part!
National Cup Match – Woodbridge vs Kesgrave High School
Our Year 9s kicked off the week with a National Cup match against the two-time county champions, Kesgrave High School. This was a great test our U14 team and although we lost the game 4-0, we were really impressed by how competitive we were throughout the fixture. Both parents and coaches from the opposition were incredibly impressed with the way we played Football and conducted ourselves on the pitch.
East Anglian Independent Schools League – Woodbridge vs Culford
Tuesday after School saw our Year 10s take on Culford, in the East Anglian Independent Schools Football League (EAISFL).
Both teams competed at a high standard and showed quality throughout the game. After a slow start our U15s grew into the game and showed great resilience to make sure that the game didn’t run away from them. Despite goals from Digby and Jacob, Culford went on to win the match 4-2 with four well-worked goals with quick build up play.
Woodbridge vs St Felix and St Jo’s
Wednesday was a busy day for our Year 7 and 8 teams, with games against St Felix and St Josephs. Our Year 7s played against a mixed team of Year 7 and 8s at home against St Felix. Despite 2 goals from Kaydon alongside multiple chance for others, the physicality of the older boys from St Felix saw us lose the game 3-2.
Our Year 8 team then played away against St Jo’s after School. This was always going to be a tough game against a team full of academy players that St Jo’s hope to reach national finals this year. Although the boys were up against it, they performed really well and managed to compete all over the pitch. Barney R, Oliver W and Arthur R were stand-out performers showing both fantastic game understanding and desire to compete throughout. In the end, the quality of St Jo’s on the ball was just too much for our boys, and the game ended 7-0.
It has been a tough week of fixtures for our students, with games against schools with well-established football programmes. We are delighted with the individual performances of our players and incredibly impressed with how competitive we have been in these games. Well done to all involved!
Last week we hosted the County Round of the English Schools Cross Country Cup, we shared a snippet in last week’s newsletter sharing our success with all four teams going through to the next round, but we are now sharing our full report from Elisa Bostock, our Endurance Running Coach.
Woodbridge School entered four teams for the event and not only did all of them manage to qualify for the regional round but each team won their age group. There were 10 schools in total competing on the day; the top three go through to the next round.
The Junior Girls kicked off the day with Year 8’s Chloe and her team devouring their home course, resulting in a comfortable win against the other schools. With the top four scorers inside the top 10, this newly formed team of six can look forward to going from strength to strength this season!
Junior Girls Team:
- Year 8’s Chloe – 1st place overall
- Year 7’s Sofia – 3rd
- Year 7’s Florence – 5th
- Year 7’s Sophia – 8th
- Year 8’s Juno – 12th
- Year 8’s Tati – 15th
The Junior Boys also had a great win, both Year 8’s Ollie and Archie coming in 1st and 2nd position to seal the deal with two of our newly appointed Year 7’s Kaydon and Max, storming in 11th and 12th positions. Year 8’s Miles and Harry anchored this team superbly and should be extremely proud of their efforts. This team have put in the hours in training, and it all came together brilliantly on the day.
Junior Boys Team:
- Year 8’s Ollie – 1st place
- Year 8’s Archie – 2nd place
- Year 7’s Kaydon -11th
- Year 7’s Max – 12th
- Year 8’s Miles – 18th
- Year 8’s Harry – 24th
The Inter Girls flew round with the top three; Year 9’s India J, Alexandra and Ella cruising as a pack, much like they train and coming home in 2nd, 3rd and 4th place while Year 9’s India B cemented a great 8th place as well as Year 9’s Imogen a strong 15th to help their team sail into the regionals.
Inter Girls Team:
- Year 9’s India J – 2nd
- Year 9’s Alexandra M – 3rd
- Year 9’s Ella – 4th
- Year 9’s India B – 8th
- Year 8’s Imogen – 15th
The Inter Boys, although in the end it was just the four finishers out of a team of six, maxed out on just 12 points ahead of the next school who finished on 48 points – so quite the gap! With the runners coming home in 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 6th positions this has put the boys in a great position for the regionals.
Inter Boys Team:
- Year 9’s Dex – 1st
- Year 10’s Hamish – 2nd
- Year 9’s Josh – 3rd
- Year 9’s Olly – 6th
Full results can be found on the ESAA website esaa.org.uk/cross-country-cup-results-2025.
Huge congratulations to all the runners and thank you to all who assisted with hosting this event. The next round of regionals will be in Essex on Thursday 6 November; all four teams will run with the aim being to qualify for the National Final in Warwickshire during December.
Moving straight into County rounds for the National Schools’ Netball competition was a new format this year for Suffolk Schools. All three age groups played schools from North, South and West Suffolk to compete for the top two places to represent the County at the East Region tournament in February. Our reports are from Mrs Johnson and Miss Sanders.
Woodbridge U14s
The U14s put on an excellent display on Monday afternoon at Rushmere. The sun was shining, and it was like a summer’s day – some would say, it was too hot for Netball! As there were 13 schools competing, teams were split into two pools, so the girls knew we had to give everything if we were in with a chance of getting to Regionals.
We started the competition positively and put up a strong performance against locals, Farlingaye and came away with an 11–4 win in our first match. After a short break, we then played five games in a row, which was tiring and didn’t give us much breathing space between each one.
Next were Finborough – a tough team, who we had to try and beat. It was all even until the last few seconds of the game, when we managed to turn their centre pass over and score, going ahead by one goal. Luckily the final whistle went, and we came away 10–9 winners.
Ipswich High were next, and we had not beaten this team yet this year, so knew they were strong. The girls fought so hard and didn’t give up. Our shooting was consistent, along with our court play and defending out of our skins, to try and turn the ball over. Again, another match where it was all even and we managed to score off our centre and come away with the win. We were ecstatic at the 8-7 score! The girls were on a high and even more up for getting through as they were proving to themselves, they could do it!
Our next two matches were a lot easier, so less pressure, although we needed to score as many goals as we could as every goal mattered, in case there was a draw. We put up good performances against both County Upper and Hartismere, resulting in 13-2 and 10-0 wins.
It was all to play for in our last match against Fram. It was another match where the play was even, both teams scoring off their centre passes, which is tournament play as any missed goal can result in a team going behind by two goals. Just as the half time whistle went, we scored a penalty to take us one ahead, but the umpire disallowed it (not sure why!), so we went into the second half with a fight on our hands. F ram took the lead and unfortunately, the final whistle went, resulting in 8-7 loss. Our heads dropped a little, but the team were so proud of what they had achieved and were looking forward to seeing where we can in our pool.
Coming 2nd in our pool, we faced a super slick and amazing RHS team, who played faultlessly. Tiredness was kicking in and we couldn’t prevent them from their super play. After losing, we knew that we could not be in the top two teams, but we had a 3rd/ 4th match to play, so found that last bit of energy in our match against Ipswich School.
Unfortunately, we did not have enough energy in our tanks as we had used it during the afternoon, but we still continued to play our hearts out and with determination and were drawing at half time. We struggled to make it to the last hurdle and Ipswich went ahead by four goals, so out of our reach in the last seven minutes of the match.
A superb effort by all and coming 4th overall is an excellent achievement! Woodbridge played exceptionally well and should be proud of what they achieved together, as myself and Mrs Johnson were so proud of you all! Well done to our team, Year 9’s India J (Captain), Alexandra, Imogen M, Imarah, Sienna, Mariella, India B and Year 8’s Martha, Grace and Matilda.
Woodbridge U16s
An excellent afternoon of netball was had by the U16s where every single player worked their socks off and gave 100%.
Drawn in two pools with 11 other schools competing we started with a close game versus Farlingaye and edged ahead to win 16-13 with some amazing shooting from Izzy, Amelie and Georgia. The defensive team of Eve, Pip and Cleo performed really well in our game versus Stowmarket for us to take our second victory 8-3.
Next up was RHS and our dominance in the centre court from Eva, Georgia, Frankie, Annie and Felicity enabled us to win a tight game 11-9. We then had Culford, another pool favourite, but after going behind we came back to win 9-7 with some cool, calm and collected play from the whole squad.
We then took on Hartismere after a long break but dominated and were able to up our goal difference winning 20-3.
Having won our pool, we then faced Ipswich High in the semi-finals. Having narrowly beaten them in a recent friendly match, we knew they were going to be tough opposition but took to the court with everything to play for – a place at the Regional Finals!
It was so close, going from end to end with every centre pass and each team scoring. In a seven minute each way game every goal and turnover counts; unfortunately, IHS gained a turnover and capitalised. They pulled two ahead and although we never gave up that advantage was never lost, and we went down 8-10.
Disappointed doesn’t even explain it as the girls had given everything – we just didn’t have that last bit of luck on our side which is always needed in tournament play.
The girls were an absolute credit to the School and went on to beat Culford 14-8 in the 3rd/4th place playoff. They played for pride and were fantastic, each and every one of them and we couldn’t be prouder of the way they played or conducted themselves. Well done to our team, Year 11’s Georgia C, Frankie, Annie, Izzy H, Felicity, Amelie, Eva P, Cleo, Eve S, and Phillipa.
Woodbridge U19s
With a slightly different format to the U16s, the U19s found themselves in a pool of eight teams, therefore the afternoon was a round-robin competition with again, the top two going to Regionals.
The team were up for it, (even though our warming up was a little lacklustre!) but not looking forward to facing Ipswich in our first match. The girls knew this would be a tough match, although we did beat them in a full game at the end of last season, so had an idea of their tactics and specific players’ strengths and weaknesses.
We unfortunately were slow to get out of the blocks, so allowed the opposition to take control and win 10-3. With new combinations too, it took us a while to get regrouped and play as a team who meant business, but we were ready for our next match against Farlingaye.
Drawing at half time, we were in it, until we unfortunately missed a goal, therefore enabling Farlingaye to go ahead by two goals. With only a minute to go, we couldn’t fight back, so narrowly lost by two.
With two matches down and five to go with Finborough next, the team knew this would not be an easy match. Again, we had beaten them in a full game last season, but we feel the pressure more in tournament play. Another match where it was all even at half time, but let the pressure get to us, plus the on court noise from the opposition and our heads went down, therefore enabling them to take control and the lead. A 16-7 loss. Although we knew we were no longer in contention for 1st or 2nd place, we still wanted to prove to ourselves that we could come 3rd or even 4th, so kept on fighting in the last four games.
What a difference these matches were! Various combinations of shooters, defenders and centre court players proved we were a versatile team and everyone gave their all. We dominated St Jo’s resulting in an 11-6 win, Fram were next and again, we played brilliantly and came away with a 14-5 win.
With a positive attitude and a drive to win the last two games, we put 100% in and played with tenacity and determination. Culford were next up and from the starting whistle, we played some super Netball and defended out of our skins. This performance resulted in a 12–7 win.
Last up, it was RHS. Although we felt a little physically and mentally drained, a win was what the team were after. Dominating from the starting whistle and not giving up until the final whistle, we were again successful and won 13-3.
Well done to all the girls – a superb squad effort, even though we took a lot longer to warm up than other teams. Coming 4th overall was another positive result and one we were super pleased with! Our team comprised Year 13’s Lara (Captain), Georgia P, Georgia G, Issy C, Phoebe D, Yr 12’s Lyrah, Millie, Scarlett, Aurelia and Bea.
Thank you to Mrs Johnson, Mrs Pilkington and Mrs Pineo for all their help and support, but especially giving up their time to be with the tournament teams. It was much appreciated by Miss Sanders (who was stepping in for Mrs Gray).
Last week Year 10 players in the U15A and U15B teams took on the strong teams from Norwich High School for Girls.
The U15A team dominated the start of the match with Tabby scoring early to give us the lead. This gave Woodbridge confidence to move the ball around with creativity and flare. Just before half time, an improvised penalty corner was scored by Eirann to double the lead.
The second half saw a goal for each team, with Tabby scoring her second to secure the win for Woodbridge. Ella B was awarded Player of the Match for her outstanding performance in defence.
The U15B team fought out a gutsy draw, especially fighting hard to defend a penalty corner against them close to the end of the game. Well done to Year 9’s Imarah, Kirsty and Imogen M who played up, Imogen also helping to set up the goal for Year 10’s Imogen S. Imogen S was also awarded joint Player of the Match, alongside Imogen M.
Woodbridge Senior 3rd vs Norwich High
Earlier this week the Senior 3rd team also played against Norwich High School for Girls. This match was end-to-end with both goalkeepers playing outstanding to keep their teams in the game. The first half ended goalless with good performances being put in for Woodbridge by Year 11’s Honor and Year 12’s Valentina.
Ten minutes into the second half the opposition scored, somewhat against the run of play. Not to be deterred, Woodbridge pushed forward and was duly rewarded with a penalty corner which Year 11, Sophie K struck well from the top of the D to convert this chance. The game ended in a well-battled draw. Year 12’s India E was given Player of the Match alongside GK super star Year 12’s Poppy H-B.
Our Senior Hockey players are making us very proud in how they are playing, representing the School and attending extra-curricular practices in huge numbers. An excellent example is being set to the younger years who are following suit with excellent attitude, play and using every opportunity to practise and hone their skills and team play. Well done to all!
Focusing on work with breath, the body and projection, last week’s Vocal Masterclass held by our Head of LAMDA, Mrs Lockwood, provided Scholars and Enrichment students with the opportunity to learn and practice techniques aimed at improving confidence and performance. Sharing his thoughts from the day, Year 10’s Seth tells us more in his report.
Year 10’s Seth
“As always with Mrs Lockwood, who is incredible as a teacher and instructor, this workshop made no exceptions and was wonderful from start to finish!
We focused on work with breath, the body and projection; exploring voice going into different cavities, of which we learned there were five, we spent a lot of time looking at and discussing how this would be used to our advantage on stage.
After this, Mrs Lockwood gave us some exercises to ‘ground us’ which most definitely will help us all, roughly 20 of us, feel connected to our bodies, the space below us and, of course, the space in front of us.
As well as this, we also learnt to convey certain emotions, motives and leads; of course, we will be carrying this all into our drama department work in the future from this first excellent workshop!”
We recently met with cast members from this year’s Sixth Form Production, The Trial; based on Franz Kafka’s novel and adapted by Steven Berkoff, our students will share the story of Joseph K, who has been arrested and is awaiting trial – but doesn’t know why. Sinking deeper and deeper, he attempts to discover what is behind his situation.
Joining students mid-rehearsal with Mr Williams, it was great to speak to Year 13’s Fergus and Georgia, as well as Year 12’s Sam L, about their characters and the likely challenges ahead as they prepare for two performances which take place on Wednesday 19 and Thursday 20 November.
Year 13’s Fergus, playing Joseph K
“I’m playing Joseph K. who is like an everyman. As the central protagonist, one of the challenges is portraying the many different thoughts and voices in K’s consciousness; he’s battling in his own mind with the fact that he hasn’t’ really done anything wrong, or at least he doesn’t think he has. This isn’t helped by the fact that he’s a man that never really seems to make things happen, he tries but never succeeds. He’s a really interesting character to play because he’s very different to the characters I’ve played in the past, because he’s very he’s very reserved, holds back and he’s not a man of action. In contrast I usually play energetic and outgoing characters, so that’s definitely going to be one of the biggest challenges for me. There are lots of lines that I need to ensure are delivered in a controlled way, subtly, softly, whereas ordinarily I’m used to exaggerating and giving energy to the characters I play.”
Year 13’s Georgia
“I play the part of the Laundress in the play, she’s the court bailiff’s wife and she’s a very seductive and flirtatious woman! She’s seductive and intentional, so that in itself is a challenge, I’ve not played this kind of character before. I’ve nothing really to compare her too in terms of characters I’ve played before, which means although she’s a challenge, it’s enjoyable as it means I get to create her on stage in some ways. However, it can feel a little awkward and uncomfortable, so I’ve got to learn to overcome that as her character develops – the way she walks, talks and moves, they’re all very dreamlike and exaggerated, she’s quite a complex character to play.”
Year 12’s Sam, playing Acolyte and the Bailiff
“Playing the Bailiff is great, he’s this incredibly rushed, hot-tempered character and I really enjoy playing him. The most recent scene I’ve rehearsed sees his wife being carried off by someone else and he’s anxiously searching for he, rushing all over the place – he also speaks very quickly! As one of a few cameo characters, he’s also a working man, and someone I and the audience can relate to easily as well, so there are lots of dimensions to him that make him a joy to play. The biggest challenge for me so far is the accents, my characters have different accents so I have to not only practice and perfect each of them – but make sure I don’t mix them up on stage! There are certain lines in any accent that are easy to recite, but maintaining that accent through every word spoken – that’s the real challenge, but I’m enjoying it.”
Be sure to book your tickets available from ticketsource.co.uk/woodbridge-school-drama.
