Year 13 The Winter’s Tale Trip

Some 30 A Level Literature students, and Dr Williams, Mr Robbins and Mr Clayton, enjoyed a riveting production of Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale at the Old Tobacco Factory Theatre in Bristol last week. Highlights of the night included a pre-bus Co-op dash, the spoils of which sustained us until we were able to procure some ice cream in the interval, and – much to Mr Randall’s chagrin – our speedy trip home, which brought us up to the school gate just 50 yards ahead of his own trip to see a West End Oliver! made it back. Numerous M4 updates had been exchanged and the tension peaked near the Vodafone roundabout about who was in the lead. The culinary delights of the evening included Mr Clayton and several students snaffling their sandwiches in the swanky bar area before being rumbled with only one order of chips between them.

The play itself was a hit. As a tragicomedy, The Winter’s Tale hinges on a jarring contrast between the tragic first half and a comedic second. This was marked adroitly by the cast – the first three acts heartrending and violently emotional, the last two full of slapstick humour, emphasising the healing force of time. The bus journey back involved a sometimes heated colloquy about the various adjustments made by the director, Heidi Vaughan, to Shakespeare’s original scripts – some characters changed gender, some speeches were cut and lines reassigned, and roles were doubled. While we didn’t agree with all of these (and not amongst ourselves either), the production was carefully conceived, resulting in new ways of considering the text that will undoubtedly be useful in our essays. That noted, Winter’s Tale fan-boy, Mr Robbins, also delighted (in tour-guide mode) in pointing out Ashton Gate stadium and a glittering Clifton Suspension Bridge.

Performances run until March 29 at The Tobacco Factory