A huge congratulations to our pupils who took part in 'A Streetcar Named Desire' for putting on such a fabulous performance.
We are thrilled by the news that four of our performers have been nominated for prestigious National School Theatre awards:
Harry Horton – Best Supporting Actor in a Play 2025
Olivia Macnaughtan – Best Actress in a Play 2025
Beth Pearson – Best Actress in a Play 2025
Zach Armstrong – Best Actor in a Play 2025
We also received an amazing review from the visiting representative. Check it out below!
Chigwell School: A Streetcar Named Desire - Well I do declare!
As an NSTA Representative, I had the great pleasure of attending the Chigwell School production of ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ on Wednesday 27th November 2024. This gripping, intense production was powerfully staged by Director-in-Residence Rachel Parkinson, with support from Alex Mangan (Director of Drama) and Bella Cavicchi.
‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ has been a vehicle for talented actors since its publication by Tennessee Williams in 1947. It tells the story of Southern belle Blanche DuBois, caught up in a desperate triangle with sister Stella and brutish brother-in-law Stanley. Blanche’s mental and moral disintegration is the centrepiece of the story, with her final ruin driven by the unfeeling and relentless Stanley.
From the moment we entered the flexible drama studio at the school, the intensity and inventiveness of this production was compelling. With the support of Kate Brown, Jonathan Scates created and implemented a visual design that was breathtaking, providing immediate emotional depth and creating a wonderful setting in which the drama could unfold. Two eight-foot square boxes sitting in traverse within the studio provided a bedroom dominated by an American flag and a lounge, with a classic poker table separating the two. Sitting tables on either side of this traverse, this clever transformation of a studio space ensured the audience were fully immersed into the action. The intense lighting and often chilling soundscape comprising a moody, repetitive beat completed the atmosphere. Clever use of music remained a feature of this production, such as the use of ‘Cry Me A River’ to support the forgiving of Stanley within the story.
The company of fourteen worked very well together to bring the story alive. A particular feature of this production was that it explored many different aspects of the American stereotype, with lead parts subdivided to allow a deeper exploration of each character through a range of prisms. The central character of Blanche was explored to huge effect by Olivia, Robin, and Beth. Olivia gave us a first incarnation of Blanche that was immediate engaging and explored comic aspects of the character well, such as her drinking of whisky directly from the bottle. Robin provided a much goofier incarnation of Blanche, effectively drawing out the gossipy and twittering tendencies that revealed a deeper mental fragility and helped explain the ultimate psychological decline. Beth’s Blanche was earthier, and she managed the difficult task of depicting Blanche’s moral fall with real skill. Between the three talented actors, the delicacy and vulnerability of an apparently confident characters came through very well.
We also explored the character of Stella in the hands of Poppy, Amy, and Tola. Poppy was a gentle and sisterly Stella, who portrayed with great effectiveness the homeliness of this character, making her initially attractive to a desperate sister with nowhere else to turn. Amy carried the character of Stella forward very powerfully with an exploration of the stronger side of this character. Her Stella was more homesteader than homely, and this was particularly good at exposing Blanche’s central period of decline. Our third Stella, Tola, offered enormous dignity and grace, speaking her lines with elegance and class – her very convincing portrayal marked the ultimate rise of Stella against Blanche’s fall.
The role of Stanley was made particularly interesting by the shared vision of Zach and James. Zach’s Stanley was the sinister American boyfriend of the 1940s and 1950s, poker player and gangster, edgy and borderline psychopath. This portrayal created a threatening presence that built pressures on Blanche relentlessly, driving her wider decline. It was critical at carrying forward the emotional drama of the piece. Zach’s menacing rendition was beautifully complemented by James’ portrayal of a milder all-American husband, Okey and farmhand, a gentle giant whose steadily-developing anger came from a character of greater sympathy. Drawn together, the two actors gave us a wonderful and informative juxtaposition, like West Side Story’s Bernardo meeting Wizard of Oz’s Zeke. This explored the character of Stanley from contrasting directions to very interesting effect.
The ensemble was very successful at widening out the story through well-presented supporting roles. Harry played the key role of Mitch with a charming simplicity, highly effective at capturing the nerdishness of an all-American boy and channelling something of the Forrest Gump into this portrayal. This worked well in contrast to both Stanleys, and built our sympathy for this key character most effectively. Lucky, Manraj, and Alex provided an effective backdrop of poker players and family acquaintances, with Manraj providing a classic ‘costume moment’ in a wonderful lilac suit while collecting for the Star. This reflected another great strength of this production – its costumes, with a wonderful series of dresses for the Blanches and Stellas counterbalanced by an authentic ‘vest-and-braces’ look for the Stanleys. Olivia and Poppy returned to stage-manage a piece of audience participation, and were very good indeed at managing this difficult task, directing their temporary actors with clarity and respect. Chloe and Ash were brisk and ruthless in their presentation of the medical team who would confirm Blanche’s exit.
‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ is undoubtedly challenging for a young company to perform, but this cast pulled out all the stops and worked hard to deliver a classy and atmospheric production of real intensity and power.
