Life @ EA

We sat down with the Geits/2nds (P7/S1) cast of The Wind in the Willows to talk about the play, the preparation and their performance. It was a spirited discussion where everyone joined in.

What was it like being part of the show? How was your experience?
It was amazing! By the end of it, it felt like there was a real community between everyone.

All of the singing and dancing backstage was really cool.

I found it fun, I found it interesting and I learned a lot of new things.

You would think that you would get sick of the repetition, but it was quite nice and there were many people that I wouldn’t have spoken to if it weren’t for this.

There were a lot of opportunities for everyone to grow and learn and create relationships and generally explore acting. It was a really good experience.

How long did you practice/rehearse?
Centuries! We’ve been practising since September, every Tuesday after school and a few Sundays.

What was is like working in such a big group?
Fun! It could sometimes be a little bit chaotic but in a good way.

We all enjoyed singing We don’t talk about Bruno (from Encanto) and Let it Go (from Frozen) together. We had an entire sing-along backstage and that was really fun.

What was your favourite part about the whole process?
It was quite good acting to an audience (other Geits) for the final performance and getting a reaction back.

It was good to see all of the work pay off…and chocolate…and Bing’s cake. Bing baked a cake for everyone.

During the performances, it was fun watching the show from backstage.

Two things, I liked beating up Mole (lots of applause) and enjoyed performing my speeches at the Wild Wooder’s Party scene.

Mr Turley was always laughing in the background and it made the recording quite hard because all you could hear were Mr Turley’s laughs!

What did you find the most challenging?
We did multiple Sunday rehearsals and I had two lines that were similar and I would get them mixed up sometimes, so I wrote the start of them on my hand until I got them right.

Learning the meaning behind what I was saying. At first, I would say my lines ten times faster than I was supposed to.

There were many mishaps that happened along the way – Toad’s belly fell out, my glasses fell off, Ratty’s ears fell off – so recovering from that was a challenge.

I had a beanie covering my hair (under the horse mask) and it kept dropping over my eyes, so Miss Ingram had to guide me a few times during blackouts so I didn’t trip over boxes and props.

I played multiple characters, so it was an enormous scramble to get to the costume rack.

Lily and I have the exact same costume, and there was one time when we were about to go on and I realised that I was wearing her costume!

I assume that you learned a little improvisation?
Some of the improv bits that we made up were kept in and it added to the authenticity of the performance.

A lot of people would forget lines or miss their cues so you had to go with something.

It was challenging to say the right words at the right time and not skip your lines, so we had to rely on each other.

One of the improv bits that stayed in was when we beat up Mole, Ratty shouted ‘Mole!’ and we all shouted ‘Run!’.

Was it difficult to avoid distraction?
You can’t see the audience unless you are right at the front. There was a scene where Mole, Ratty and Badger are standing at the front and one of the audience asked, ‘Why are you wearing glasses like Harry Potter?’

My costume had large cardboard spikes (Hedgehog) and I don’t know how many people I accidentally hit with my back.

Did anything surprise you? Was there anything that you liked more than you thought you would?
Even if you’re not a drama person, it is a fun thing to do and it feels like more of a hobby than a subject when you perform in a play.

There was a family dynamic at the start that remained until the end.

In the beginning, I thought the flute players were miming and I was surprised that they were actually playing!

I didn’t know Isla (Fox) was that strong!

I discovered that half of us know all of the lyrics to Let it Go. I was surprised that this entire crew was into musicals.

I thought I would be dead by the end of this, tired out, but I wasn't. I got home and had loads of energy.

I liked being backstage because we did meditation after and it was nice.

What are you looking forward to and what would you like to do next?
We’re looking forward to the next show and would like to do a musical…maybe Encanto!

A Bug’s Life!

Bugsy Malone is absolutely amazing and would be fun.

Did you have fun?
YES! (all)

There was a lot of work and a lot of rewards.

Yes, I acted and helped make the costumes.

Once, I forgot that I was supposed to be on stage, and was in a dress, so I ran and crashed into the caravan and then broke the barge…it was a cardboard massacre…but fun!

The Geits/2nds performance of The Wind in the Willows premiers for parents and pupils on YouTube tonight at 7.00 pm.