London Trip
Over the mid-term break from 24th October to 3rd November 2018, Mr. Tuff together with 10 students flew to London for a theatre trip. The students spent 6 action-packed days in the capital and were involved in many incredibly different activities.
The group arrived at London Heathrow in the early morning and headed straight across London, travelling like true Londoners via the “tube”, visiting some renowned landmarks like the Olympic Park in Stratford. The evening activity was a Jack the Ripper themed tour of Whitechapel. It was interesting and insightful since students learnt all about the history of Jack the Ripper and horrific ways in which he committed his crimes.
The group made their way straight to Covent Garden to start a walking tour lead by Mr. Tuff the next day. The tour included, Buckingham palace, Charing Cross, Trafalgar square, The strand, Downing Street, St James’ park and Horse guards parade. After that, they headed to the theatre to watch the first show of the week, Matilda. The set was exceptional and the performances were breathtaking particularly from the young girl playing Matilda.
The first acting workshop took place at the famous pineapple dance studios in Covent Garden on the third day. The first session was with Rachel Bingham, a well-known West End performer who had previously starred in many West End productions. She’d previously played Madame Thernadier in Les Miserables and Maria in The Sound of Music amongst other roles. The class was a real treat and various techniques and some of the actual choreography from Les Miserables could be learnt. It was followed by a tour of Shakespeare’s globe where the group learnt a lot about Shakespeare’s original performance conditions and the history of Shakespearian performance. A backstage tour of the national theatre was arranged where students looked at the actor’s changing rooms, props and set production before looking at the performance spaces within the National theatre. Finally, the students were treated to enjoy an evening performance of Les Miserables at the Prince of Wales theatre.
The trip brought lots of eye-opening experience for the students. They spent another fruitful day at the Pineapple dance studios to learn the art of stage combat with a professional stuntman. This was a marvelous experience. Another breathtaking journey was the visit to the British Museum where a great diversity of exhibits could be seen. The day ended with an appreciation of a play “Woman in Black” at a well-decorated old, small and rundown the theatre.
Some days were spent sightseeing at famous places such as a few more museums, the River Thames, Windsor Castle and also Eton School, one of the grandest schools where lots of prime ministers were educated. The visits gave students a taste of the local culture and provided chances to talk to the locals, getting a better understanding of the country.
It was a fantastic, informative trip that gave students lots of inspiration in learning.
