HOUSELIGHTS sell-out Production of WOYZECK beats the odds

This May saw the HOUSELIGHTS sell-out production of WOYZECK take place in our Sixth Form Drama studio. This was our third HOUSELIGHTS production and the first to be entirely produced and directed by our HOUSELIGHTS members. It was also the last performance for some of our founder members. They were joined with some of the new generation and two of our international students (which means we even had audience members travelling by train from Switzerland to see the show!). The production was a sight to behold with beautiful costumes designed and sourced by Ruby Redwood and supported by our expanding backstage team. With 10,000 leaves scattered across the studio floor it was not only a show to remember but possibly one of the biggest clean up operations at the end of each night. 
 
A full review follows shortly, kindly provided our school Librarian Lynne Myhill, but special mention goes to two of our most heroic cast members: Hope Baxter and Lola Walton. 
 
Hope, who played the lead female Marie, was incredibly ill on our opening night. She had been unable to speak throughout the day but was desperate not to let the cast down. She went ahead and performed with so much energy and commitment that our audience were oblivious to the fact she was so poorly. Virtually collapsing after the show, there was a brief moment of crisis and cancellation or postponement had been suggested. Hope was devastated. However, a couple of cast members volunteered to learn the role ready for the following evening. As Lola had previously stepped in during a few rehearsals she seemed the natural choice. She gave a seamless performance.
 
I have to say, in all my years teaching drama, I have never known such a tight cast. Lea Smith and Jed Silk made a superb team and did a fantastic job of directing the show, with veterans such as the astounding Sam Mountford and the ever-dependable Lennon Button helping to set the tone and lead our less experienced cast by example. The camaraderie, commitment and focus throughout the production was truly a pleasure to behold. My only concern is, based on the truly excellent standard of their work, I am afraid they may have made me redundant. I suspect it may be the peas?
 
Mr Smith
 
Woyzeck; a Houselights Production - The Review
 
I wasn’t really looking forward to Woyzeck! I’d studied it at uni and, as a rather naïve undergraduate with a sheltered upbringing, had been shocked, depressed and mystified by it… This was made worse by my first visit to the Royal Opera House to see Berg’s opera of it, Wozzeck…
 
Some decades later, I found I could cope much better and was overwhelmed by the power of this production. Its mix of expressionism and naturalism, surrealism, humour and violence, and an overall feel that makes it a natural precursor to Brecht all combine to mean that it is a play that needs expert direction, and I imagine no two productions would be the same. This is particularly true in that Buchner left the play unfinished, and no-one knows in quite what order the scenes should be performed! Translations also vary enormously. But Lea Smith, assisted by Jed Silk, did a professional and skilled job, making sensible decisions as to whether a scene or particular character should be played realistically, for laughs, for pathos, or in an utterly surreal fashion. The mix worked brilliantly and the audience’s attention was held throughout… and we also knew what was going on! 
 
The set was simple, but the floor was covered in autumn leaves, which played their own part during the play. Blocks were brought on and moved as part of the action, by the actors, but the production was given greater depth and interest by expert use of light and sound. Costumes were also simple, with suggestions of character, but the decision to keep everyone in a neutral palette was a good one. 
 
The acting and ensemble work was superb. The entire cast need individual mentions, and are listed at the bottom. I was so impressed at their concentration and in the creation and maintaining of their own characteristics, yet their utter togetherness in ensemble sections (freeze-frame, choreographed moves etc). Sam Mountford was superb as the title character, seeming to get madder as the play went on, yet making us wonder if it was he, or the horrible characters who surrounded him who were really mad. He showed a touching vulnerability that made us pity rather than condemn him. Jed Silk has such good timing, and his miming and moves are spot-on. Hope’s little sister almost stole the show, so competent and cute was she in her role. But for me, Harriet Tyman shone the brightest in an all-shining cast! I couldn’t take my eyes off her, and I’m still not sure what it was that made her performance stand out as it did. She delivered her numerous, often ridiculous and difficult, lines with such sincerity and clarity, even when they were utter nonsense, and her many tiny moves and gestures just all worked perfectly. 
 
This was an excellent evening’s entertainment, and the whole team (backstage and front of house too) should be congratulated… Even if this had been teacher-led and rehearsed for months, it would have been classed as amazing… as it was, it was completely student-led and rehearsed in under 3 weeks… Astonishing… 
 
Cast… Sam Mountford, Hope Baxter, Victoria Tolley, Harriet Tyman, Jed Silk, George Pearson, Alicia Gasser, Bobby Pearse, Lennon Searle, Frankie Joyner, Lola Walton, Summer Scholes, Freya Bartlam-Morgan, Madeline Sales, Erin Gardner, Emma Huttley, Daniel Young, Luke Gore, Camilla Comincioli 
 
Production team… Lea Smith, Jed Silk, Ruby Redwood, Tara Vidal von Ronn, Jaan Richards, Lauren Kirby, Audrey Benjamin, Grace Williams, Lilly Howse, Bessie Molyneux, and Mr Smith and Mrs Cackett 
 
Review: Lynne Myhill