Upper V Drama visit

‘Hamilton’.

Ms Brown, Head of Drama, reports on the Upper V Drama visit to ‘Hamilton’ before Half Term.

‘It was exciting to take the Upper V GCSE Drama pupils to see Hamilton on Saturday 9^th October. It was our first theatre outing since Covid, and the resuscitation of this live experience was truly wonderful to share with such a great bunch of girls. The energy of the award-winning performance swept over us and we left the auditorium thrilled by the skilful actors and hopeful that this innovation of musical theatre, one which reflects a contemporary progressive society, will continue. Ava, one of our Drama Scholars, shares her thoughts on the event below.’

“On Saturday 9^th October, Upper V GCSE drama pupils went to the Victoria Palace Theatre to watch the highly acclaimed rap musical, Hamilton. This visit had the purpose of allowing the us to see the production we are evaluating for our exam as a live performance. It enabled me to witness more of how the audience reacted to certain lines and key moments and this will help to develop our essays in the future. There was an excited atmosphere and going as part of a group made it an even more enjoyable experience and led to loads of discussion afterwards. Writer Lin Manuel Miranda intended to convey society’s progression and promote equality through the retelling of the story of the founding father, Alexander Hamilton, by using a diverse cast and contemporary music styles.

I thought the opening song perfectly conveyed the concept of “America then, told by America now” and it successfully set the tone and themes for the rest of the musical. I instantly saw a diverse cast, which was really comforting as an audience member. The progress made by society was visual and seeing people from different cultures and backgrounds come together to tell the story of an American Founding Father was really inspiring.  Rap was used perfectly as a language of rebellion, and with lyrics such as “Immigrants, we get the job done” Miranda opposed xenophobia. Overall, it was very beneficial and has helped me gain a better understanding of the musical as a whole and the effect it has on an audience.”