Since the school’s relocation to Wallington in 1975, there can be few school activities that have sustained such momentum as Drama. Three decades of memorable productions directed by Jeff Shaw are carved into school legend and this era has been followed, since 2011, by the inspirational direction of Ben Kavanagh. Mr Kavanagh’s plays and musicals have explored the fullest gamut of human emotions and experiences since his directorial debut at Wilson’s (Titus Andronicus) over 10 years ago.

Last year, Mr Kavanagh turned to the murder mystery genre (Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None), but this year’s Senior Production, Jim Cartwright’s 1986 play Road, marks a further departure. Set in a working-class area of Lancashire, the play depicts the lives of characters on one street during a period of high unemployment.

Scullery (Ethan, Year 10) is our charming—if slightly sinister—guide to life on the road, meeting characters whose lives have been ravaged, to varying degrees, by alcohol, joblessness, and depression. Mars and Aaron (both Year 12) gave haunting performances as Joey and Clare, young lovers sliding into despair, with other standout moments from Nicolas (Year 12), who expressed the plight of three characters with great power, and Aditya (Year 10) as Molly, whose bittersweet reminiscences were among the most poignant moments of the play.

None of these productions would be possible without the invaluable assistance of Debbie Straw and Tom Elwood, or without the expertise of backstage crew, whose professionalism continues to inspire. We were delighted to see several talented new younger team members in the crew this year—bravo!