As part of Ashbourne's ongoing commitment to its Drama and Theatre Studies course, drama students have an amazing opportunity to see some of the best plays that London has to offer within the course of the year.

Below are summaries of some of the plays that drama students have seen in the past year.

Oedipus

The Ashbourne Drama Department saw Oedipus at The National Theatre on the south bank for their first trip of the year. Ralph Fiennes was starring as Oedipus (the Greek figure who notoriously marries his mother!) The staging of the play was highly impressive, the revolving stage and the lighting made it a really engaging production. The group found it impressive to see a play that was 2500 years old and still hugely relevant and entertaining to a modern day audience.

Mr Kolpert

The second time the group went to the theatre was to see the Ashbourne drama teacher performing at the Greenwich playhouse. The play was based on a German farce called 'Mr Kolpert'. The play was an absurdist melodrama centering around the interactions between two married couples and the mysteriously absent Mr Kolpert. It was hugely farcical and comical but also quite dark and menacing at times. It was very special for the group to see their teacher acting so well.

Six Characters In Search Of An Author

The drama department's third trip to the theatre was to the West End to see 'Six Characters in Search of an Author' at The Gielgud Theatre. The original play was written in 1921 by Pirandello, but this was a modern day re-interpretation. It was an intricate and complex theatrical experience and its main message dealt with family trauma and the illusive nature of reality. It was thoroughly exciting but also terrifying at points. The group found it to be a unique theatrical experience.

A View From The Bridge

In January, the group went to the West End again to see 'A View From the Bridge' by the legendary Arthur Miller at the Duke of York theatre. The production had an abundance of positive reviews so expectations were high. The action was set in Brooklyn in the 1950s and depicted the tension between the immigrants from the old world (Italy) and the mighty capacity of the new world (America).

Unbroken

The drama group walked up to Notting Hill, only ten minutes away from college to see this play. It was a play about the complexities of human relationships and used interpretive dance in order to convey this tension. The theatre was small and intimate and allowed everyone to become fully immersed in the action.

Dancing At Lughnasa

The drama department went to the Old Vic near Waterloo to see this production. It was an Irish play written by the contemporary playwright Brian Friel and was set in Ireland during the 1930s. The play was a moving and heartwarming piece focused towards memory, entrapment and Irish history. It showed with great tenderness the nature of the modernising world.