Last Saturday we, the English Faculty, had the pleasure of taking 60 of our Year 10 students to see a production of Macbeth in the Globe Theatre on the South Bank. As an open-air theatre, we had our fingers crossed that the weather would be kind and, while Monmouth was under a blanket of rain, the Globe was bathed in sunshine! For a lot of the students, this was their first experience of getting out on a trip after lockdown, so the sun just added to the excitement.
After a long coach journey battling through London’s traffic and a spot of lunch bankside, we entered the pit, where the groundlings of Shakespeare’s day would stand to watch the performances. Once it began, we were all thrown into the darkness of the play, with performers eerily singing or shouting from amongst us, with more than a few surprised shrieks when we were caught off guard! Slightly adapted from the original, the Scottish play was performed at a pace, with moments of unexpected comedy nestled to counter the dark ambition of its titular character. Moments of violence made us gasp and, before we knew it, order had been restored to Scotland and the actors were bowing in front of us. It was remarkable!
Before we left, there was just enough time to get a photo with Max Bennett, the actor who played Macbeth and has also performed in Poldark and Bohemian Rhapsody, so some of our staff were a little bit star struck!
Arriving back at Monmouth Comprehensive School a little short of 9pm, we were all ready for bed after what had been a fantastic day. The students were brilliant and behaved impeccably, a real credit to themselves, their parents and the school, and we very much look forward to the next trip
