St Wilfrid's Students experience
racism in drama workshop

 

 

St Wilfrid’s students were pleased to welcome OnO Theatre group to the school who performed a play called “Mzicar” to our Year 7 pupils.  The theatre company presented the play in our drama studio and it was followed up with a discussion with the actors, writer and director about the piece and the issues it exposes.  

 

The play is about a young girl called Mzicar who lives with her “father” in the disused underground system.  He makes her stay underground to protect her from the people who live above ground who are, he says, different, violent and dangerous.  She has lived there since her mother handed her to her “father”/ protector, leaving her at the entrance to the tunnel writing MZICAR on the dirty glass window above her.  One day Bradley, a boy from above ground, finds her. She discovers that he is not really that different to her.  Who should she believe?  What is difference?  How can she be secure?

 

One year 7 commented, “I really liked the set and the lighting helped the play come alive.   The sounds were really good – especially the train which really made me jump!  The actor’s were great and their characters were really believable.”

 

Mzicar has been commissioned from Action Against Bullying Alliance and running alongside the performances, the theatre group also worked with our Year 10 and 12 Theatre Studies students to train them as peer leaders.  These students then ran workshops for the Year 7’s following the performance of Mzicar. 

 

A performance of Mzicar was also shown in the evening where parents and staff were invited to come along and see the play.  It was really well attended which further endorsed the student’s enjoyment of this production. 

 

Ms Suzy McDonald, Head of Drama comments, “The production was fantastic and really gave our students’ something to think about.  It was also incredibly useful for our Year 12 students to meet with the Director, Producer and cast and find out more about their actual roles in theatre. St Wilfrid’s were fortunate enough to be one of the few venues chosen by OnO Theatre Group due to its fantastic facilities in the Drama Studio.”

 

 

St Wilfrid’s is working towards getting an Arts Mark and this event fitted in nicely with our application, demonstrating how we work with drama professionals.

 

 Established for over 6 years, OnO Theatre Company specialises in high quality theatre for young people.  Based in West Sussex the company tours within the region and nationally to schools, theatres and arts centres. Each show is created with high quality artists, including some of the top theatre professionals working in UK today.