16 Issue 53 – June 2015 – QUEEN MARGARET CALLING
Bringing Shakespeare to Life
Queen Margaret College had another successful year at the regional Sheilah Winn Shakespeare
Festival with two student led performances receiving accolades.
The Taming of the Shrew was awarded Best Comedy, while
the excerpt from King Lear was selected to compete at the
upcoming National Festival. Both teams were delighted with
their respective awards.
“It was wonderful to have all our hard work recognised – a
very proud moment,” co-director and actor Madeleine Knowles
comments.
“It was definitely a surprise.
I was elated,” director Lily
Dalton says.
The students had just
a month to rehearse lines,
practise scenes and organise
costuming and props before the
regional Wellington Festival.
Director of King Lear, Lily
Dalton enjoyed exploring
the family dynamics between
father and daughter in her
five minute piece. Instead of
a courtroom situation, she set
the scene up with the father
and daughters as a private
family discussion.
“The actors were very
responsive to feedback, which
made them really good to work with,” Lily says.
For co-directors of The Taming of the Shrew, Sarah Ross and
Madeleine Knowles, this was their first time in the director’s chair.
“You learn how to articulate what you want with actors and how
important that communication is,” Madeleine says.
The student directors wanted to do a comedy and say The Taming
of the Shrew was the perfect choice.
“We had a fight between the two
sisters which was a great way to explore
more physical theatre,” Sarah comments.
Nerves were running high before the
performance but Sarah and Madeleine
were extremely pleased to see the crowd
laughing at every joke. All three directors
enjoyed working with Shakespearean
texts and say his work is well received for
a reason.
“The themes are timeless and carry
through even to today,” Lily says.
With the success of former Queen
Margaret College student Clara van
Wel at last year’s National Shakespeare
Festival, Lily is hoping for a repeat
performance this year.
During the April holidays Shweta joined the orchestra in
Christchurch for a week, rehearsing and performing at
St Margaret’s College. The experience was one Shweta, a
violin player, will never forget.
“There is something about being surrounded with different
sounds and parts, all of whom are trying to produce one sound
together that is really satisfying and exciting,” she comments.
The students initially worked with tutors learning and
interpreting their individual parts before coming together to play
as an orchestra.
“I found this to be quite a worthwhile experience, as it gave us
confidence when we came together as an orchestra, preventing us
from feeling lost in the sea of instruments.”
World renowned conductor Benjamin Northey put the students
through their paces emphasising that music goes beyond an
understanding of notes and rhythms.
Playing the right notes
For Shweta Iyer, the opportunity to tell a story
through music is a privilege. The talented Year 12
student has been selected for the New Zealand
Secondary Schools Symphony Orchestra.
“Playing in an orchestra is all about using individual skill to
contribute to a larger group, so in a way, we are all team players.”
The orchestra played a final concert at the Charles Luney
Auditiorium which was a fitting end to a week of intensive rehearsal.
Shweta has been learning violin for about 12 years.
“It has been 12 years filled with friends, happy memories and
lots of practice,” Shweta comments.
Music is very close to Shweta’s heart but she is also a fan of
Science, with a particular love of Biology. Alongside her studies,
Shweta also takes an active role in the extracurricular life of Queen
Margaret College playing Handball and Hockey, while also taking
Chorale, Speech and Drama and Senior Strings to name a few.
Rosaria Murray and Maisie Ryall in The Taming of the
Shrew.
Shweta Iyer