Summer Term 2010

One World Photographic Competition
Amnesty International Shell Demonstration
Functional skills development - involving employers
Art Exhibitions 2010
Students get close to Icelandic volcano!
Science Oxford 'The Apprentice' winners!
The wedding of the year
Proposed sports hall
Former Ceramics student represents UK in Denmark
Henley Headmaster's diary
Parliamentary candidates visit college
Student attends Amnesty International AGM
Languages Department have visit from EU Translator
The Henley College Lecture: Wednesday 31 March
Pathways Interactive Music Day
BND Year One Production
Students help with Ex-Jersey Boys' film
German Exchange Rietberg 2010
Music Department Recital Evening
Amnesty International stall for Haiti
Students work with Hollywood Actor
Ex-student becomes West End Leading Lady
South Oxfordshire UK Youth Parliament elections
Youth Speaks competition
Victory for under 18s Rugby team
Rugby success for Nathan Busby
Next drama production announced
AS French trip to Lille

One World Photographic Competition

The winners of the One World Photographic Competition were presented with their awards by the Assistant Principal Peter Allen and the winning pictures displayed in Deanfield reception.

Left to right: Peter Allen, Sadie Brownlow, Matt Heayes,
Paula Frost and Toby Rossiter

Well done to the first prize winner, Matt Heayes, who was awarded a digital camera, joint second prizewinners Paula Frost and Sadie Brownlow, who each received a pinhole camera and the runners up Lucia Sanguinetti and Toby Rossiter, who each received £30 worth of Photobox vouchers.  Our thanks go to all the entrants. 

Monday 28 June 2010

Henley College Amnesty International Students say: “It’s Hell with Shell in the Niger Delta!”

Report by Sue Bingham, Tutor of Henley College Amnesty International Youth Group

All eyes seem to be on the mess caused by BP and President Obama’s efforts to secure billions of dollars in compensation for the devastation wreaked on wildlife and the livelihood of thousands of American people.

However, Royal Dutch Shell, a UK-based company, has been the major oil producer in the Niger Delta for the past 50 years, making billions of dollars while polluting eco-systems and persisting in the prohibited practice of ‘gas flaring', which burns off the gas produced when oil is pumped out of the ground. Local communities want it to stop - they say it pollutes the air and water, causing health problems that are being ignored by Shell and the Nigerian government.

Who is speaking out against this? Amnesty International, although better known for its defence of human rights in such realms as freedom of expression, is speaking out - as part of the new Demand Dignity campaign which now addresses economic and social as well as civil and political rights.

You may have seen a group of students from the Henley College Amnesty International group wandering through the town on market day, in white decontamination suits, calling on Shell to clean up its act in the Niger Delta. They gave out information leaflets and asked people to sign a petition (150 signatures were collected from college staff, students and townsfolk). Whatever you may think about young people today, I’m proud to say that here is a shining example of students who care enough about human rights and injustice to sacrifice both their lunch and their vanity (in very hot, unflattering outfits!) for a cause they support with passion and enthusiasm, and to speak out for those who don’t have the weight of the US President behind them….

For further information on this issue, see the Amnesty Report:
PETROLEUM, POLLUTION AND POVERTY IN THE NIGER DELTA

Thu 17 June 2010

Functional skills development-employer engagement project

Creative and Media  Diploma students at the Henley College were set the challenge of giving a presentation to a team of panel members attempting to persuade them  to adopt their solution to solving a traffic related issue in Henley.

Tom Espley with students, Chris Davies, Giles Ruscoe,
Emma Pierson-Hagger and local employer Richard Millington.

The panel consisted of Richard Millington, Managing Director of the Paramics traffic simulation division at the Henley software firm Portrait Software, Liz Davies, the Oxfordshire Education Business Partnership Manager, Caroline Gast, the Functional skills co-ordinator and Media Studies lecturer Zoe Lorenz.  In the style of innovative partnership working, Richard devised the presentation brief and gave the students some useful insights into what makes a good presentation from the employer’s perspective.

The college has been working in collaboration with the EBP and local employers to bring learning to life in the classroom and to help the students develop good presentation skills and the confidence to transfer these skills into unfamiliar contexts.

The new Creative and Media Diploma Course places emphasis on developing functional skills in communication, mathematics and ICT, as well as applying other thinking skills to a wide variety of issues.  This skills based approach underpins the delivery of the creative and media course content.

Prizes were awarded in three categories, for the most persuasive argument, the best presentation and the best idea.  The students had taken this issue very seriously and had clearly spent a great deal of time researching, taking photographs, completing questionnaires, and using their creative and media design skills to produce some fantastic presentations. Chris Davies who gave the best presentation created animated, hand drawn images and maps in AfterEffects, displayed in Flash. His solution was to build an extra bridge and he presented detailed plans of road layouts. He responded well to questions from the panel.

Giles Ruscoe had the best idea, which was to have a roundabout instead of traffic lights in the town centre. He too used his creative skills to produce an animation in Flash. Richard was impressed that he responded so well to his questions relating to pedestrians and safety issues, while under pressure.

The winner for the most persuasive argument was Emma Pierson-Hagger, who used sound and image effectively in her video.  She argued for an alternative route through the countryside around Henley. The panel found her to be engaging, confident and enthusiastic. Emma has made outstanding progress in presenting during her time at Henley.

The students would not have been so successful without the help of employers from Henley businesses who have given so generously of their time to share their expertise with this group. Elizabeth Kuhnke of Kuhnke Communication gave an inspiring lesson on presentation skills and body language and Brian Naylor of TV Training enthused the students with a lesson on the techniques of presenting to a camera. Their input has clearly motivated the students to excel.  We thank the employers involved and look forward to working on further collaborative projects in the future.

Art Exhibitions Summer 2010

Vocational Exhibition 14th-18th June 2010
Art Foundation, National Diploma and Fine Art
Private view - Monday 14th June 6-8pm
Closed for moderation 18th June

A Level Show 28th June - 2nd July 2010
Art, Ceramics and Photography
Private view - Monday 28th June 6-8pm
Closed for moderation 29th June

BND Travel and Tourism group get close to Icelandic Volcano!

As part of the BTEC National Diploma in Travel and Tourism, second year students complete the residential study visit unit. This involves the planning and organising of a trip where students must stay away from home. This provides a great opportunity for them to experience new cultures and destinations.

In the past groups have travelled to New York and San Francisco however the current second year group decided that it was time for a change. Their tutor for this unit , Jenny Parmenter, had helped them to broaden their horizons and see that Iceland could be something different – swimming in thermal pools at the blue lagoon (voted by some students as the highlight of their trip), glaciers and mountains and the Aurora Borealis.

The students travelled in the week leading up to the Easter holidays and there was some uncertainty as to whether they would travel as the volcano began to erupt 10 days before their trip. However the trip went ahead according to plan and they had a great time. The weather was cold but there were clear blue skies and students were able to see the Aurora Borealis AND the volcano erupting both at the same time! Other activities included visiting the National Park and witnessing geysers spurting at irregular intervals.

A truly educational and highly enjoyable trip which demonstrated that trying something different really can provide the experience of a lifetime. They can forever say that ‘I saw the volcano erupting that stopped the planes from flying!’

Science Oxford “The Apprentice” Winners!

On Wednesday 5th May Jenny McWhirter and Bethi Cook, both year 1 students on the International Baccalaureate course, took part in the final of “The Apprentice”, a competition run by Science Oxford and sponsored by Oxford Brookes University and Oxford Catalysts, a local green energy business. To reach the final, the students first went through an initial round working in teams to propose uses for biomass products from the sea bed. Twelve students progressed to the semi-final task, for which they were teamed with a mentor from industry. This task involved researching and planning the construction of a low energy building, using resources from local industries. The proposals were explained to a panel of judges in the form of a poster presentation. Three students were selected to progress to the final task, to research three biofuels and give a 10 minute formal presentation to a group of 20 scientists. The students were then grilled about their own choice of biofuel for the future by the panel of judges.

Image: Jenny McWhirter with the panel of judges from Science Oxford

After a nerve wracking 30 minutes of deliberation, the panel selected Jenny as “The Apprentice” and presented her with a cheque for £500, with the offer of a two week work experience placement at Oxford Catalysts over the summer. Bethi was awarded the runner up prize of £100. The panel explained how difficult it had been to choose between the finalists because they had presented their findings so well under pressure, shown excellent research skills and demonstrated the innovative thinking skills needed in science and business.

The coordinator of the project said afterwards that they were not afraid to award the prizes to two students from the same college because they were the best! This was high praise indeed as the entrants were drawn from schools and colleges across Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire.

Entry to this competition was part of The Henley College’s new programme of events for “Gifted” students and the experience should prove very helpful when applying for competitive university courses later in the year.

Watch out for news of further “Gifted” events soon.

The Wedding of the Year

Tickets - or rather invitations - for the last Completely Cuckoo Theatre Company production of the year are now on sale.

The graduation production from BTEC National Students is normally staged at Norden Farm Arts Centre in Maidenhead, but this year the students have chosen the setting of the front lawn of Rotherfield Hall as their venue.

The production is a new version of a play many herald as one of the classics of modern theatre, Blood Wedding by Lorca. This version is inspired by Lorca's original is and not a conventional restaging of it. In fact, much of the dialogue is entirely new and the story promises a few twists and turns that will take those already familiar with the play by surprise.

"Lorca's play is a classic" says director Nic Saunders, "and we're trying to take the essence of his work, but trying to create something more than just a play, we're trying to create an experience for the audience. We're staging the story as a wedding in real time and we want the audience to really participate. The tickets are actually invitations, we want the audience to come dressed in their best suits and dresses and we'll be serving champagne throughout. We want to create an immersive, interactive theatrical event that really absorbs people - so, we'll be involving the audience in the wedding pictures, in the cutting of the cake and other pivotal moments of the story. Hopefully, it will be a really exciting and dynamic event."

The production opens on Wednesday 16 June and runs until Saturday 19th. Tickets are available from Deanfield reception or from 01491 579988. Tickets are strictly limited to 60 a night and will sell out very quickly, so don't hesitate if you want to be part of what promises to be an innovative and memorable night out.

Former Ceramics student represents UK in Denmark

Former Henley College student Lizzy Sudbury, was recently chosen to represent the UK in the prestigious ‘Project Network’ after completing her BA Hons Degree in Ceramics and Glass. Project Network is a six week symposium for recent graduates held every year at Guldagergaard International Ceramic Research Centre in Denmark. The aim of the project is to create a network within the same generation of ceramic artists from around the world thereby promoting international exchange and investigation in to the future development of the ceramic arts.

The participants are recommended by their educational institutions and have each accomplished a specific project during their stay. They work in the studios at Guldagergaard along with recognised international artists, who give individual feedback on the work and career plans of the network participants. Lizzy was overjoyed that she was chosen to take part in the prestigious Ceramic Centre, and produced an excellent body of work whilst she on the programme. This has lead to her own studio set up in Cornwall.
More information about the programme can be found www.ceramic.dk

Henley Headmaster's diary

The 1940 - 1959 diaries of the headmaster of Henley Grammar School (1934 - 1957) Mr H.D.Barnes are being serialised over several months, starting May 28th, at:

www.henleyhead.blogspot.com

Any readers who have comments or corrections are very welcome to contact the address below:

Hilary Barnes (diarist's son)
47 Rue Fleurie
37540 St Cyr sur Loire, France
hba080936@aol.com / 00 33 2 47 49 83 59

Parliamentary candidates visit college

The candidates of the three main political parties for the Henley Constituency agreed to speak to students and staff at College last week.

Richard McKenzie (Labour), Andy Crick (Liberal Democrat) and John Howell (Conservative) gave lunchtime talks throughout the week.

The talks were followed by questions from the audience and an opportunity for students to meet the candidates.

Richard McKenkie (Labour candidate)

Andy Crick (Liberal Democrat candidate)

John Howell (Conservative candidate)

The other candidates contesting in the Henley Constituency include John Bews (BNP), Laurence Hughes (UKIP) and Mark Stevenson (Green Party)

Postscript
Predictably, the Conservative candidate, John Howell was re-elected as the MP for the Henley Constituency with a very large majority, gaining  56.2% of the votes. Andy Crick, the Liberal Democrat was second with 25.2% and Richard McKenzie, the Labour candidate was third with  10.9%. The three other candidates from UKIP, the Greens and the BNP lost their deposits with 3.4%, 2.5% and 1.9% respectively.

At national level, however, the results have had dramatic effects, with the no single party gaining a majority of seats, the resignation of Gordon Brown as leader of the Labour party and the formation of the first coalition government in the UK since the second world war. Normally, the day after a general election, the new government is established, but on this occasion, it took five days before David Cameron was confirmed as the new prime minister, heading a cabinet which contains 18 Conservatives and 5 Liberal Democrats.

There will be much interest in the coming months on the extent to which this new style of government can provide political stability and, at the same time, address the serious economic problems which face the country.

Student attends Amnesty International AGM

During a weekend in half term, I went to Warwick University for Amnesty International’s AGM (Annual General Meeting). After making an unsuccessful attempt to find my way around Coventry and the University’s Campus, I finally arrived and was thrown straight in to a non-stop weekend of meeting new people, voting for the future of Amnesty, going to talks and workshops, late nights and mornings that were way too early!

Image: Lauren Stevens and Alex Siddall, AIUK Board Member

The talks and workshops that I attended were one aspect which was really interesting and gave me the opportunity to learn more about Amnesty’s current campaigns, and what will be coming up in the future.

One of these which I am really interested in is the case of Shell, who have been producing oil in the Niger Delta in Nigeria, leaving the people’s water polluted and killing the fish, which the people rely on to live. On top of that, Shell are using gas flares that were made illegal in 1984 and continue to do so, ignoring serious health warnings. This leads to what I thought was the most exciting part of the weekend; campaigning for Shell to “come clean”.

Over the weekend, there were around 1,000 people who attended the AGM and together, we all walked through part of the university campus to the centre, some of us holding large candles and a 20ft banner that had been made up of fabric hands, with messages to Shell over the course of the weekend. This resembled a gas flare. There, there were Nigerian drummers and fire performers as we all chanted “Shell, put out the flares” in both English and Nigerian.

This year’s AGM was a particularly exciting one, as it was the first year that members of youth groups over the age of 14 were allowed to participate in voting on resolutions in working parties; these are basically new ideas that members of Amnesty International have put forward for the board to consider. Knowing that I was a small part of making decisions for the future of Amnesty was an amazing thought!

Throughout the weekend I was given the opportunity to make new friends and to talk to people from a wide range of ages and from many different places in the UK, including Kate Allen, Director of Amnesty International UK. I would really recommend this for anyone who is keen to make a difference for those who are much less fortunate than ourselves; it really is a great experience!!!

Lauren Stevens

A Careers in Languages with the European Parliament

In March, Henry Wickens (brother-in-law of lecturer Sandra Wickens) spoke to language students about his work as a translator for the EU in Luxembourg. They found out that once you have learned one foreign language many follow suit, as seems to happen if you pursue a career in translation. He encourages students to keep up their study of foreign languages and even to apply for work experience with the European Parliament.

Pathways Interactive Music Day

Pathways will be hosting an interactive music day in the dance studio on Tuesday 15th June.

David Jackson will be running the event supported by five members Time Spanners, whom he has worked with several times over the last ten years.

The theme of this years event will be ‘Africa!’.

David Jackson is the most dynamic and original workshop leader I have ever encountered. He will be leading the interactive musical themed day using sound beams, samplers and switches + more.

Time Spanners will be collaborating on percussion.

David Jackson is unique and we are extremely lucky to get him– he used to play with Peter Gabriel and Van Der Graaf Generator in the 70’s and 80’s.

Now he is a world leader in themed disability music and is a household name in Italy and Sweden where he regularly gets coverage in national papers and T.V. He has had numerous documentaries made about him – the latest has just come out in DVD format in Germany. He is coming to us directly after a concert tour of Japan.

Time Spanners are a leading disability music group based in West Berkshire.

This follows on from last year’s successful dance event when Anjali, a disability dance group from Banbury, led a workshop attended by Pathways and mainstream students from the Dance course.

Find out more at:

http://www.jaxontonewall.com/

http://www.circleofsound.co.uk/spanner/index.html

BND Year One Production opens at Norden Farm

“Our Country’s Good” was performed by the BND Year One students at Norden Farm Arts Centre.

The show ran from Thursday 18th until Sunday 21st March.

Says director Neil McCurley, “It’s a tough show and has presented some real challenges to the young cast, but we’ve been rehearsing every hour to be ready and I’m confident we’ll be presenting our audiences with a thought provoking and dynamic piece of theatre”.

Tickets are available from www.nordenfarm.org

Students help with Ex-Jersey Boys' Film

The Henley College has a strong relationship with the West End hit show “Jersey Boys” – Frankie Valli (alternate) was played by ex- BTEC student Scott Monello and Four Season Nick Massi was originally played by actor Philip Bulcock, who was directed by the College’s Head of Performing Arts Nic Saunders in a film project in 2009. So when Philip needed some voice recording for a film he is currently working on where else but to Henley could he turn!

Actor Philip Bulcock, who has also directed the film, came to the College last week and recorded a group of female students screaming. In the piece, these screams will be used over a scene in which fans go crazy outside a hotel window when their idols, a Four Seasons style group, appear.

Says Nic Saunders, “It was a great experience for the students to do something a little bit different and it gives them an insight into how the industry works. When they see the film they’ll hear themselves, but coming from the mouths of professional actresses – it will be a strange experience, I’m sure. We’re very grateful that Phil would think of Henley when he needed the help and we’re more than happy to give it.”

German Exchange Rietberg 2010

Early on a Wednesday morning a group of students met at Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 for their flight to Duesseldorf. It was the beginning of the 11th German exchange with the Gymnasium Nepomucenum in Rietberg which took place during the half-term week (17th February – 23rd February).
The Henley students were quite apprehensive as time drew closer when they were to meet their German exchange partners and enter into a family they had never met before. But right from the first greetings it became clear that the students would be happy and got on really well with their partners. It was good to see our students really getting into the spirit of the visit by speaking as much German as possible. At first, it might have been a little difficult, but over the next few days it amazing to hear our students gain in confidence and speak more and more fluently. After all, this is the main aim of the exchange “Deutsch lernen in Deutschland”
Whilst in Rietberg, the students took part in a wide range of excursions which lead them to the cities of Cologne, Muenster and Bielefeld. Each of them different and offering a unique opportunity to learn about different aspects of German history. Highlight of the excursion programme was the visit to Berlin where the students saw the parliament building and then visited monuments showing the more recent history of the German capital. In addition to this, the students had plenty of time to socialize with their exchange partners and join in their leisure activities.

On the return to England all participants (including the accompanying teacher) agreed that they had had a great time and were all looking forward to being hosts when the Germans return the visit in March.

Music Department Recital Evening

Wednesday 17th March at 7pm. Rotherfield Hall

The College Music Department presented a Recital Evening featuring music in a variety of styles.

Amnesty International stall for Haiti

As part of a "Henley for Haiti" day organised by the Student Union, the Henley College Amnesty International Youth Group recently ran a stall to highlight concerns about human rights abuses in the aftermath of the earthquake, especially concerning women & children and those fleeing over the border to the Dominican Republic. Over 200 staff & students signed letters to the authorities in the Dominican Republic to ensure the protection of these vulnerable victims, and money raised was donated to the Red Cross. Thanks to all those at the college who signed letters and/or donated.

Students work with Hollywood Actor

A group of Performing Arts students spent their February half term in College participating in a week long intensive course of Acting workshops.

The lucky group of students spent the week working with American actor Kirk Baltz. Kirk’s work developed the Acting work the students have done as part of their college courses and then pushed it in new directions. Kirk’s work is based primarily on the ideas of practitioners Sanford Meisner and Sandra Seacat and his focus is on the ways in which actors can develop characterisation through accessing, understanding and employing their own emotions and life experience. It is very personal, intimate work and the students had a very challenging week, but they all agreed that it was “the experience of a lifetime”.

The College was very fortunate that Mr Baltz agreed to come over from Los Angeles for the week. Internationally renowned as an Acting Coach, Kirk is also a working actor and has appeared in films such as “Dances With Wolves” and “Natural Born Killers” and TV shows such as “Will and Grace” and “24”. Kirk is probably best known for the role of Officer Marvin Nash in Quentin Tarantino’s “Reservoir Dogs”.

“It was really great that Kirk would consider working with our students – I have no doubt that we will see the benefits of his work in all their performance work from now on. It wasn’t an easy week and Kirk took them to some difficult emotional places, but the students gave their all and responded really well. It was great for them to work with a professional actor for a long period of time and it’s given them a taste of what to expect if they continue their training after Henley”, says Nic Saunders.

The Dame Periam Memorial Lecture:
Peter Taylor

Wednesday 31st March 2010

The College was delighted to welcome award-winning journalist and reporter, Peter Taylor OBE, to give the Dame Periam Lecture 2010. Peter kindly took time out from writing his latest book to give an inspiring talk to a packed Rotherfield Hall.

 

Peter began his talk by asking the question “what is a terrorist?” and gave examples of people who could be considered terrorists due to the acts of violence they have committed. He also went on to explain how some of these ‘terrorists’ have since become respected public figures, and central to political movements in their countries – for example Nelson Mandela and Martin McGuinness.

Peter showed video clips of interviews he has conducted over several decades where has been able to meet and talk to people closely associated with the Irish Troubles, and more recently those involved in Islamic Extremism. The frankness and honesty with which many of these people spoke was highlighted by Peter, and he explained how much work and persuasion often has to precede the rare opportunity to talk to those closely involved in ‘terrorist’ activity or movements.

One of the personal highlights of Peter’s experiences was when he was filming a documentary in Maze Prison, one of Europe’s top security jails. Nothing was deemed ‘off limits’ to the crew, and they captured on camera the moment when Loyalist inmates marched their band, playing home-made instruments, through the prison corridors on the 300th anniversary of Battle of the Boyne.

The lecture drew to a close with Peter asking the students the think carefully before forming opinions about issues regarding extremism or terrorism. He asked them to never take things at face value, and to try and look behind the story presented to them and to make up their own minds.

South Oxfordshire UK Youth Parliament Elections

College student Alex Longworth-Krafft stood as a candidate in the South Oxfordshire UKYP elections.

Voting starts today, 5th February and ends Thursday 11th February. Students can support Alex by collecting a voting card from Deanfield Reception and by placing their vote by SMS or online.

Click here to read Alex's manifesto and find out more about the UKYP >>

Youth Speaks competition

Here are the two teams which represented The Henley College recently in that most terrifying of activities: public speaking. At the Youth Speaks competition at The Kenton Theatre, Alex Longworth-Krafft spoke passionately about the dangers of the DNA data base, with Olga Pankova as Chair and Wandia Wahogo as Vote of Thanks. The other team, which received a special mention from the judges, featured a powerful speech on Youthism from Subi Wahogo introduced by Vicki Morrish and thanked by Alex Harris. It proved a stimulating and entertaining evening!

AS French Trip to Lille

The AS French students had an early start on the Eurostar, which gave them a whole day to soak up the festive atmosphere in the northern French city, Lille. The Christmas market was very pretty with lots of unusual gift ideas in the decorated wooden chalets. After a walk round the main squares and sights we all had lunch in a lovely traditional crêperie, with delicious crêpes au chocolat definitely being the dessert of choice! Then students had a few hours of free time to wander around the town, enjoy the Christmas lights, and practise their French in the shops and cafés, before falling asleep on the return Eurostar journey. A very enjoyable day was had by all!

Rugby success

Henley College rugby player Nathan Busby represented the South West Division in the recent England Under 18 Divisional Festival in Yorkshire. The tournament went ahead as scheduled thanks to the state of the art 3G all-weather surface at West Park Leeds RFC.

A former pupil at Chiltern Edge school Nathan played his junior rugby at Abbey RFC before attending The Henley College. The 17 year old A level student who lives in Tokers Green had come through a long selection process and training camp in Spain.

Prop forward Busby had a storming game in the tournament final between London & South East and the South West and thanks to a last gasp score by London both teams preserved their unbeaten tag after a 22-22 draw. "It was a good final and it's been a good festival," said England Under 18 coach John Fletcher: "Lots of players who have come through the County route have had an opportunity to represent their Division and it was a fitting end. It was a close game and a draw was probably a fair result."

Next drama production announced

The Completely Cuckoo Theatre Company have announced that their first production of 2010 will be “Our Country’s Good” by Timberlake Wertenbaker.

“Our Country's Good” is the story of convicts and Royal Marines sent to Australia in the late 1780s as part of the first penal colony there. It follows Second Lieutenant Ralph Clark's attempts to put on a production of George Farquhar's restoration comedy The Recruiting Officer with a cast of male and female convicts. The play shows the class system in the convict camp and discusses themes such as sexuality, punishment, the Georgian judicial system, and the idea that art can act as an ennobling force.

Says director Neil McCurley, “It’s a terrific play with lots of interesting staging possibilities and I’m keen to see what myself and the students can bring to the piece.”

The play will be performed at Norden Farm Centre for the Arts in Maidenhead from 18 – 21 March. Tickets will go on sale in February.