Behind the scenes of Arsenic and Old Lace

The School Play had to be done a little differently this year. First of all, it had to be a Sixth Form play only, due to the ‘bubble’ situation. Everything was going well, and rehearsals were underway, however, lockdown struck leaving the cast to stop rehearsals all together. The idea of a Radio play was thrown around, much to our dismay. With the original concept of the play, the focus surrounded acting and ignored accents. However, with a radio play, you really have to portray your character with your voice. This was something none of the cast members had come across before.

The play itself was set in Brooklyn, USA in 1948 and has an abundance of interesting characters. The plot focuses on two sisters, Abby and Martha who get up to no good, alongside their family members, Mortimer and Teddy, who each have an interesting life within the Brewster household, as well as the return of a few characters who want to bring about the demise of, not only Mortimer, but a few other unfortunate souls.

In rehearsals, we got to make use of the brand-new recording studio, in The Queen Elizabeth Music School. The cast worked very hard to adapt to the new situation. I interviewed some of the cast members, to ask what they thought of the play. When asked about the idea surrounding the Radio Play, a cast member replied with this:

A very new idea, we’ve never done anything like this before. I am excited and I am really looking forward to how this turns out. 

The actors seemed very enthusiastic to play around with accents, some said:

I absolutely love experimenting with accents and characterisation, especially in such a new format.

Due to rehearsals being so different, a new location had to be used to perform this play. 

We’re so lucky to have this kind of technology available to make this a possibility, and it’s very exciting to record in the music school twice a week. I’m really enjoying the whole experience.

Using the equipment for the first time was a surreal experience, it was so professional and took the cast some getting used to.

It’s a different experience, it’s very fun. For example, when you’re using the mics and the headphones for the first time, it’s weird because you have to stay completely still and quiet, even swallowing can be heard, we never had this problem in the theatre. 

Overall the cast really enjoyed the process of creating the Radio Play, and are looking forward to everyone hearing it for the first time. We hope to be able to stream it for everyone, in particular the elderly within Bruton, as some entertainment.

Bella - L6^th Form, Priory House

Due to uncertainties around rehearsals and audiences, we decided at the end of October to change the Sixth Form play from a stage production to a radio play. It has been a really interesting and challenging experience for the cast, and one that has made them work hard on different areas of their performance skills. We have been very lucky to work in The Queen Elizabeth Music School, with Mr Tupman, the Recording Studio Manager, who has given endless support and guidance to the cast. We are hoping to share the production in January giving us all something to look forward to in the New Year.

Will Stainton - Head of Performing Arts