Scratching The Surface pupils Zoom with the playwright

Pupils took to the stage for a different Priory production this week – Scratching the Surface.

It was an educational performance in a bid to help people talk about the sensitive subject of self-harming and how it affects, not only the person doing it, but family and friends as well.

There were a lot of words to learn, and some worrying moments of whether the show would go on earlier in the week, but the cast, under Lead Teacher of Drama, Miss Howell, got there with two strong productions.

Miss Howell said: “There was a lot more learning of lines; it's not the glitz and glamour of our usual performances - it's about raw emotion on the stage. With it being 'verbatim', it had to be word perfect.

“A few of the cast struggled, which is understandable, and there was a worry whether we could actually put the performance on but we got there in the end.”

Year 7 Lillia said: “It’s been amazing to be involved with this. It was a bit stressful but I want to be an actress so this has been an important experience for me.”

Year 9 Ben said: “There were a lot of words to learn but I think I got most of them. I was in Legally Blonde and this was a lot different and more challenging. I have chosen to study Drama at GCSE* next year as I enjoy it.”

Year 9 Phoebe said: “It has been extremely stressful but I have enjoyed it at the same time.”

Year 7 Macie said: “It’s been a challenging production, it’s so serious, but I have enjoyed performing on stage.”

Year 7 Ted added: “I am going to take GCSE* Drama and am thinking about whether to be an actor.”

An interview with the playwright

The week before their performance of 'Scratching The Surface', the students were lucky enough to spend some time with Mark Wheeller, its playwright, via Zoom. 

Mark Wheeller is one of the most-performed playwrights in Britain.  He is widely recognised for his contributions to the field of theatre education and his powerful plays that tackle social issues. One of his plays is recognised as one of the most performed contemporary plays in the world, having been performed over 5000 times. His other plays include 'Game Over', which Priory pupils performed in 2022. 

The Zoom meeting with Mark was an amazing opportunity organised by Miss Howell. It provided an incredible experience for the students who were able to ask questions about the interviews that took place with the family and how the individuals reacted to the questions.  

Students asked questions such as, ”How did they react to the questions you asked?" and "Were there any moments that really stood out to you?”.  One particularly interesting question posed to Mark was, "Did you, as playwright, know much about self-harm before writing this play?" Mark, at the time also a Drama teacher, said he was unaware until writing the play that there was an issue with self-harm among young people. When he wrote the play he discovered that it was a bigger issue and it almost became a pandemic.  

Lead Teacher of Drama, Miss Howell, said, "It was a very informative talk and the students came away realising that self-harm was more than just cutting.  On a professional level, they also got to understand what this style of theatre entails and had a peek into why 'verbatim' is important.

"This zoom meeting really created a buzz within the cast and gave them a passion to add to their characterisation.  One really effective piece of advice that Mark gave the students was, "Don’t try to imitate the characters, but bring yourself to it".  
 

*Pupils study BTEC Level 2 Technical Award in Performing Arts