Dark of the Moon – ‘Stunning’, ‘Spellbinding’, ‘Utterly Incredible’
Monday 7 December 2015
Music: ‘The Ballad of Barbara Allen’ sung by Eleanor Grant, Year 11
Photography: Stewart Jordan and Adam Bottomley
The Upper School transported audiences to the brooding atmosphere of the Smoky Mountains, as they presented a dark and mesmerising fable of witchcraft and star-crossed romance over three nights in December.
Dark of the Moon, written in the 1940s and much admired by Peter Brook, remains a perennial favourite in American High Schools but has largely been forgotten by British theatre. It is surprising, as it is such a rich and compelling story – one which Queenswood girls relished telling to three packed houses in the Clarissa Farr Theatre.
Witch-boy John begs the mysterious Conjur Man and Woman to transform him into a human, so that he might woo and wed the beautiful but wayward Barbara Allen. The townsfolk are wary of John, and their suspicions turn to hatred, with tragic consequences for the young lovers.
Despite the macabre themes, the production was utterly captivating, and the hilarious portrayal of small-town religious frenzy – a raucous combination of The Crucible and the ‘Mission’ scene from Guys and Dolls – was truly memorable.
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| The leads were excellent, internalising their thoughts in a most mature way…The accents were so impressive and sustained…The ensemble work was so professional and beautifully presented…You should feel immensely proud of a production which sits up there with the very best that Queenswood always offers. |
A member of staff
| Thank you for your wonderful production of ‘Dark of the Moon’. We thoroughly enjoyed it. The play was brilliantly cast, with some truly moving scenes and some characterful performances. I had to remind myself that I was watching a school production. Queenswood are so lucky to have such a fabulous drama department. Many congratulations. |
A parent
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We wanted to pass on our huge congratulations to all involved. The set was stunning and totally atmospheric, the storyline fascinating and the performances utterly incredible. It was hard to remember that all the girls were under 19. The script and accents must have been hard to learn but they did it with total ease! We were utterly gripped to the end. |
A parent
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I have to say by far the best school drama I have seen has been at Queenswood, and yesterday was no exception. |
A member of staff
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Congratulations on a fabulous production, it was spellbinding! |
The Chair of Governors
| My fondest memories of Q have been both in the lead up to plays and on the stage; each performance has been incredible and, above all, brilliantly fun. Dark of the Moon was the most fantastic send off for our year; we all adored the characters we were cast as and had the most wonderful time preparing our scenes. |
An Upper Sixth Student
