Mark Best’s Director’s Notes in the programme said; “I would first like to thank all members of the Wick for their support and encouragement. In particular Kevin, who has given the group and myself some much guidance and input, the show would not have been possible without him. It has been a great experience working with Young Wick. There is a tremendous amount of talent amongst the group and it has been a delight to see them progress and learn whilst working as an ensemble. Not only has their dedication and hard work been imperative to this production but their ideas and enthusiasm have been crucial to the shape of the piece. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with these gifted youngsters and look forward to continuing to do so in the future . [That’s if they’re not sick of me by then!]”
This piece is a new script published by a writing programme aimed at teenagers called International Connections, a collaboration between the National Theatre, London and other international youth theatres. These new plays for young people were brought together by many admired playwrights and cover a whole range of contemporary themes. This piece is a very appropriate subject to be covered by our youth group as many have been going through these stressful examinations themselves in the last couple of months!
The Exam is a very entertaining and thought provoking show for young and old alike. Adults will remember the knotted stomach as the minutes ticked by and the scratching of pens would be the only sound to be heard. Whilst youngsters in the audience may well find some remarkable resemblances to the teachers and the words of wisdom spoken to them by parents! This show is beautifully scripted and has a very warm and entertaining view on what we will all remember as being one of the most nerve-racking times of our lives. So – sit back and enjoy a trip down memory lane!
Review #1: The Exam
Publication: Shoreham Herald
Publication Data: August 13 2004
Reviewer: Jamie Hailstone
Text Header: Top of the class
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FULL MARKS to the Wick Theatre Company’s youth group for their impressive debut last week in Andy Hamilton’s The Exam.
Confidently directed by Mark Best, the production made good use of the atmospheric Barn Theatre in Southwick, brilliantly recreating the tension that all of us remember from doing school exams. The play follows three teenagers who are about to sit their GCSE examinations: Andy [Chris Morgan] is sitting a history exam because he was ill the first time round, clever Bea [Sara Hadfield] is taking an A-level two years in advance and there’s tear-away Chas [Helen Brewster], who broke her collar-bone in a recent madcap exploit. The three pupils are all, understandably, very nervous, but their plight is only compounded when the key to the examination room goes missing and the teacher in charge starts to have personal problems of her own.
The cast also included Stacey Crosskey, Amy Abbott, Zoë Attree, Katie Foulsham, Emma Sotheran, Amy Curtis, Ryan Lainchbury, Stuart Isaac and Kirsty Biss. As the exam started to unfold, the audience was drawn into the lives of all three pupils with flashbacks to their home life and even the odd ghost.
There was many a knowing nod from the audience as the play unfolded. They may have been the best days of our lives but they are pretty difficult to forget too.
Review #2: The Exam
Publication: Brighton Argus
Publication Data: August 17 2004
Reviewer: Barrie Jerram
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Andy Hamilton’s play humorously captured the fears and hopes of three candidates re-sitting their exams. It explored the pressures put upon them, not only from themselves but also from their families. If this was not enough for them to contend with they had to cope with being locked out of the exam room, the bickering of two of the teachers coming to the end of an affair and with two excellently realised figments of imagination. The production was a stylised one with the actors often leaving the exam room and moving into a spotlight to deliver a monologue that provided a flashback to their home life. If the production had a weakness it was in the use of music for these scenes. Whilst the choice of music was intended to help distinguish the three households it did the young actors, especially those playing the parents, no favours as they had to battle to get their words across to the audience – a battle that was not often won.
As the streetwise Chas, Helen Brewster had the additional task of acting against gender and gave an assured performance with good timing that extracted the maximum humour from her wisecrack lines. There were some delightful scenes between Chas and the ghost of his Father, played with great drollness by Stuart Isaac.
Matching Helen in confidence was Sara Hadfield as Bea with the nickname of “Two Brains”, the girl who excelled at everything but at a cost. Her talent and singleness of purpose had led to isolation through the lack of friends and to constant praise from her parents who were forever showing her off. An interesting aspect of her story was the way that she coped with taking exams. She had invented a character that she called “Exam” whom she controlled by transferring over her worries and fears. At one point “Exam”, nicely played by Kira Brannlund, rebelled and a struggle of wills takes place.
Completing the trio of candidates was Andrew, trying desperately to live up to his parents demanding expectations and living on his nerves as a consequence. Chris Morgan had the difficult task of expressing his mental and physical torment through variations of face and body language. As the bickering teachers Amy Curtis was delightfully gauche as “BSE” with Ryan Lainchbury as the volatile Biggs.
The choice of play was an ideal one for the youth section of the Wick Theatre Company who provided an evening of great fun.
Review #3: The Exam
Publication: Words & Music
Publication Data: No.113 November/December 2004 – page 11
Reviewer: Gordon Bull
Text Header: An eye-opener
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It is refreshing to know that young people in Southwick are pursuing Thespian interests. The YWP presented a two-act play which explored the traumas undergone by examinees and their families. Here were three such, each with a different lifestyle and background, where the influences ranged from utter indifference to their offspring’s needs to complete over-anxiety. Becoming aware of the psychological stresses was a salutary eye-opener to those of us in the audience with our own recollections of those exam days as it affected each one of us in our academic teenage advancement.
Act Two taking place in the actual exam room, well-displayed the problems that arise for the invigilators, their attempts to oversee and undersea the examinees needs and the messages that pass between candidates when incidents arise unknown to the book-reading staff. A nice glimpse of real life here without the added traumas brought on by lost papers in the post and other after-examination hiccups [hiccoughs!]
Each of the thirteen young players gave a good indication of their various problems and their movements which came naturally, gave some realism. My only problem was picking up the speedy, loose-tongues vernacular, which from time to time was cunningly and amusingly strung together along with the common graffiti so prevalent among the young adolescents today as they emulate their elders in woeful attempts to grow up. I despair to hear our politicians telling each other ‘it’s time to grow-up’ in their slanging matches which are most revealing of their own immaturity.
Well-done youngsters. Makes you think!
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