Students Shine at the Dulwich Shakespeare Festival
"I don’t think I would have ever imagined myself doing the Shakespeare Festival two years ago. Being able to express this side of myself, a side that I never knew I could embrace, was really something special.”
Abi J, Year 10
This October Dulwich Pudong Drama Teachers Helen Bamford and Dean Poulter and 11 of our Drama students took an unforgettable trip to Dulwich College Beijing to take part in the Dulwich Shakespeare Festival 2023.
The Dulwich Shakespeare Festival is part of the Worldwise Events series organized by Education in Motion, the education group to which we belong. This is an annual event and this year was extra special as it marks the first time it was held in person since 2019.
Our students worked diligently since the beginning of the year to rehearse and prepare an extract of William Shakespeare’s classic comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Upon arrival at the host school, our students were greeted by professional Associate Learning Practitioners from the Royal Shakespeare Company who had travelled from the UK to lead workshops with students and teachers.
For three days students explored Shakespearean texts and took part in team building exercises alongside students from other Dulwich and Dehong Colleges. At the end of each day they all sat in the theatre together to watch as each school presented the performances they had worked so hard to prepare.
At the end of the week, Dulwich Pudong students proudly presented their pieces to the audience. The spectators thoroughly enjoyed the show, erupting with laughter at various moments and giving a thunderous applause at the end. Teachers and students from other schools were highly impressed by Dulwich Pudong’s contribution and showered the students with paise and feedback.
A representative from the Royal Shakespeare Company commented, "The audience could see that the performers were enjoying themselves immensely, which made the audience enjoy themselves too."
As the three-day event came to a close, the students were sad to say goodbye to the friends that they had made, but all agreed that this had been an incredible experience and a memory that they would cherish for the rest of their lives.
Here is what some of our young Drama students had to say about their time at the Dulwich Shakespeare Festival:
"I loved every part about the Shakespeare Festival. Meeting new people from different Dulwich schools across Asia was a treat and I enjoyed each and every workshop as well as meeting the colourful cast of professionals from the Royal Shakespeare Company."
“I really enjoyed the festival. Not only did we develop skills as actors, we also learnt director skills and even how to write our own play.”
After returning to Shanghai, the students mounted a special presention of their piece in the Mei Lan Fang Theatre to an audience of parents and teachers who highly appreciated their efforts.
Opportunities like these provide important ways for our students to challenge themselves and grow. Drama is a key way that students build confidence and teamwork skills. We enjoy a long-standing partnership with the Royal Shakespeare Company through being a member of the EiM family of schools.