The Last Resort  - Eastbourne and Beyond

On Wednesday 7th June, 28 intrepid Drama students and their teachers went to Eastbourne for the day.

A trip to the seaside, how lovely! And just what has a trip to the seaside to do with Drama?

Well the students are all members of the cast of The Last Resort which is being performed in Spotlight at Oaks Park High on Tuesday 11th July at 6pm and on Wednesday 12th July at 3.30pm (payment details to be released soon)

The play highlights a typical day in the lives of the people who visit a seaside resort. It was therefore imperative for the cast to experience this for themselves and to fully immerse themselves in their roles. Students experienced the joy of sand between the toes, building sandcastles and getting buried on the beach, the delight at being attacked by flocks of seagulls eyeing up the chips. Students were challenged to win as much as possible from the 2 penny cascade machines on the prom. The competition was fierce and students left the arcade clutching pots of money and plastic toys. Artistic skills were also put to good use as students took an array of fantastic pictures of the day. Many of these will be featured in the projections for the show itself.

At the Devonshire Park Theatre on this delightful afternoon the sun was exchanged for “Abigails Party" by Mike Leigh, a kitchen sink style drama. The audience watched as Beverley flirted with Tony, his wife Angela oblivious to Beverley’s advances. The action slowly played out as the characters lives unravelled. Students were introduced to naturalistic theatre and the nuances of performance from which we learn about the characters in the drama.

Back home on the minibus and Year 7 sang through the songs of Frozen whilst Year 9s competed with renditions of Abba.

It was a fantastic day of exploration, teambuilding and learning about performing. All of these elements will be used in the student’s performance of The Last Resort.

A request for help:

We need some props for our play, if you are able to donate anything listed below, please contact drama@oaksparkhigh.org.uk

An exhaust pipe

Brightly coloured beach towels

Beach paraphernalia: inflatables, beach balls, buckets & spades