"Stones in His Pockets"   

In January, Mademoiselle Aminot took the AS Level French students to the theatre of Vevey to see "Stones in his Pockets". This wonderful comedy by Marie Jones has won numerous Theatre awards including the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy, as well as three Tony nominations on Broadway. After five fabulous years in the West End, "Stones in His Pockets" now continues to delight capacity audiences at every performance. We were lucky enough to get tickets for everybody !!!  Here is a brief synopsis of the plot ... When a major Hollywood film studio descends on a village in rural Ireland, the demand for extras from the local community is huge. As the story unfolds, just two talented actors brilliantly bring to life over 15 extraordinary characters.

Even though the play was in French, it did not lose anything of its Irishness: Mr. Mac Sweeney can vouch for this -  he did not stop laughing !!! The actors were absolutely amazing.

                                                                                                                      F. Aminot

"La Chute"

On the 7th February, around 40 students, accompanied by four of the school’s teachers, went to see the film “La Chute”, the work of the German producer Bernd Eichinger.

The film, featuring Bruno Ganz as Adolf Hitler, portrays the last few days of Hitler in his bunker situated in the grounds of the Reich Chancellery. It is seen from the point of view of Traudl Junge, Hitler’s secretary, played by Alexandra Maria Lara, who remains by the Führers side until the very last minute of his life.

We found “La Chute” to be, as expected, a very moving and yet horrific story that captivated us all at the same time; it really brought to life how the events of those dark days might well have been.

I was thoroughly impressed by the concept, the screenplay, the acting and the execution of this excellent film. I can wholeheartedly recommend it.

Helen Holt, Yr 12

"The Crucible"

A rare treat for the English department in February – a play in English IN VEVEY!!

Ms Eastham, Ms Hammal and Ms Beckett made the most of the opportunity and took a group of students to see ‘The Crucible’, by Arthur Miller at the Theatre de Vevey.

The Crucible was written in 1953 and is based on the events surrounding the witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. Miller wrote about the events as an allegory for McCarthyism and the Communist scare in the USA in the 50’s and his play was consequently the cause of much controversy.

The performance in Vevey was superb! Brilliant acting despite a noticeable lack of respect from many young members of the audience. Our group loved the play and were all very well behaved – even the teachers!!

                                                                                                                   K Beckett