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Stratford
Removes – March
Following tradition, the
Removes embarked upon
a trip to Stratford.
The intention was two-fold: that the boys
would learn more about the life ofWilliam
Shakespeare and, through drama, explore
some of the themes dealt with in his plays.
A chilly, but sunny, morning saw us take a
walking tour of the town, visiting locations
associated with Shakespeare’s life.We heard
fascinating stories outlining the history of the
town and life in Tudor times. The extremely
knowledgeable guides provided interesting
explanations and anecdotes, and we visited
Shakespeare’s birthplace and his grave, with
its gravestone curse, amongst other sites.
The Royal Shakespeare Company provides
educational workshops focusing on specific
plays and, in the afternoon, the boys took part
in two:
Romeo and Juliet
and
Macbeth
. Using
drama, the workshops explored the themes
and characters revealed in these two plays and
the boys participated with enthusiasm.
HL
St Briavels Castle
2nd Years – March
The 2ndYear once again
travelled to St Briavels Castle in
the Forest of Dean for a two-day
residential trip that involved
sleeping in the castle in rooms
with names such as ‘The Prison’
and ‘The Hanging Room’.
The boys learnt about the history of the
castle, from its origins as King John’s hunting
lodge to its current function as a youth
hostel.They also learnt about attacking and
defending castles, sieges and the particular
defensive features of St Briavels.The boys had
a great time with particular highlights being
the archery and making bread which the
boys then ate as part of a medieval banquet
where everyone dressed up and got in to
character.The boys especially liked eating
with their hands and there were lots of songs
and stories after the meal. It was a fantastic
couple of days and much fun was had by all!
OJSB
“The boys
especially
liked eating
with their
hands”
S u m m e r F i e l d s
2 0 1 5 – 2 0 1 6
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