Bear Pit Shows Explore Themes of Guilt and Teenage Activism

It was exciting to see pupils back in the drama building this week, flexing their creative muscles and throwing themselves (literally) into rehearsals for Bear Pit.

The Bear Pit is an opportunity for students to direct, produce, adapt, write and perform a text of their choice. It is a student-centred and student-led experience, which allows them a great degree of creative freedom, and the responsibility that comes with it. There is a profound educational value in this - students are required to account for a creative enterprise and the logistics of seeing it through. The students always come through with some tremendous pieces of theatre.

The Year 11 kicked off the season with a mixture of comedic, philosophical and experimental pieces. Here is how they described them:

WORKING TITLE

India, Writer: I wanted to write a comedy as I believed it was often overlooked in favour of darker genres- which interested me. I was curious about why teenagers grappled with such large topics on stage and the exponential growth of teen activists in recent years. So, I decided to write Working Title - a balancing act of the meaningful and the meta, but mostly the laughable. A difficult task, but one that the wonderful company, and especially Kelvin’s incredible directing, managed to pull off.

Kelvin, Director: While working on Working Title, a topic we wanted to cover was the idea of the plentiful roles and discussions that teenagers seemingly feel obligated to have. Whether it is a worldwide problem or a singular personal worry, the fact remains – teenagers don’t have all the answers! So, to have the privilege to direct this profoundly genuine and refreshing satire written by India, as well as working with a brilliantly spirited crew, both cast and tech, we are thrilled to show it to you and, hopefully, get some chuckles out of you in the process.

ORDEAL BY INNOCENCE

Edith, Director: Ordeal by Innocence is a brilliant combination of a classic Agatha Christie ‘Whodunnit’, whilst also raising philosophical questions about guilt. When new evidence from a murder case three years previously emerges, the Argyle family are once more suspects. I loved adapting and rehearsing this script, and exploring the psychological implications, and moral questions, that are so often overlooked in a text such as this. It reminds us, “It isn’t the guilty who matter. It’s the innocent”.

The performances in front of a live audience took place on Thursday 25 and Friday 26 November.