The King’s Quest at St Lukes School, West Norwood
Last Thursday SCTC visited St Luke’s School in West Norwood. We worked with a class of 30 children to put on our play about the history and legacy of The King James Bible. We usually work with double or even triple this number, so it was nice to work with a smaller number and be able to focus a little bit more on individual performances. In the warm up we always start with a focus workshop which helps the children move around the space, but also gives them some technical tips to be able to control their bodies and energy on stage. The children at St Luke’s had a lot of energy and we challenged them to be able to use their energy when it was needed in the play but then at times when they should not be the focus be able to control it. The children responded really well and the performance they did was a testimony to that. In one scene the children show the plight of children on the streets in Victorian England. We then have a rendition of “Consider Yourself” from Oliver and the children become cockney dancers. The challenge is to fade out off the stage with the music. While in rehearsal the children found this particularly difficult, not so in the performance! So, well done to St Luke’s School, their improvement was visible to us all.
