‘Call me love, not Romeo.’

I have to say, I was surprised with our performance myself. It went really well! At the beginning I thought it was going to be a disaster, the rehearsals didn’t go quite well, but later we turned up the tempo and managed to prepare for the actual show. I think we all enjoyed it. There were times when we all were tired of repeating the same scenes over and over again, but it was all worth it in the end. We managed to overcome the technical difficulties, remained calm in front of the audience and did our best.
For me it was a great experience, something different. I finished the school year in an awesome way ;) I met some other GV students for the first time, and we got to know each other a bit at least. In my opinion the play was a great idea, and I’m looking forward to the next one.
Huge thanks to the cast and to everyone that made this show work!

The Prince

With Merlin on left, King Arthur on right,
Through Durrington Walls he arrived,
The Valkyries that were walking behind
With first rays of sunshine sang:

‘Wait until the dawn comes
Raise both hands to the sun,
Lower your head to the Prince of the dead
Who comes across Green Lands’.

And his voice – sharp as an arrow, cold as steel,
‘Oh brother, oh mother’, he cried,
‘Do not fear me, I live! Because
Death is only a state of mind.’

And with these words, the war began
Prince with his bow led a fight,
‘In the country of the dead, there’s a festival
Of life’, King muttered. ‘Let’s start.’

‘I’ve come to take Juliet to church!’

I think that in general the play was a great success and we should be proud of what we did. In my opinion such event is also a chance to meet new people, make new friends and have a good fun. In Białystok there is no other school which ends the year with a show, so somehow we feel proud to be students of GV. The event was worth the effort, it made us feel like professional actors on the biggest stage. The preparation of the show was difficult, mostly because we decided to perform in the streets. Of course we may have been more efficient with time, I think we lost a bit on the pantomime, but on the other hand, it was a chance for us to know each other better. We all did an incredible job to prepare the play, even though we were frequently disturbed by passers-by and drunk men begging for money.
The most important thing about our project was meeting fantastic people. I think we would all agree that the event was not only an occasion to show off, and realize how fantastic English school we are, but also an opportunity to integrate in our small GV community. Before and after English classes we pass each other in the corridor. There is simply no time to chat and get to know others.
We were all responsible for our parts in the play, we worked hard and we finally did it. For next year I think we should consider starting rehearsals a bit earlier. This year I saw that it was really difficult for us all to gather, so the sooner we start, the better. I suggest that next year we should find some theatre to perform in. I know it will be difficult to arrange, but easier to rehearse. I hope we’ll do even better. And personally I would prefer a comedy.

‘But I can’t read! What shall I do?’

In my opinion we did a great good job. That performance was a real success and great opportunity to meet new people and spend a lot of time together, have fun while preparing for the show. I think that the idea of such a play was already part of the success. I’m glad that we could give the audience some entertainment.
I must admit that we omitted some little bits of the play and sometimes we had problems turning up for rehearsals. We did not give up though, and overcame all the obstacles. For me, personally, it was some kind of novelty. I had never taken part in a street play before so it was also difficult to get used to a large, open space.
I’m proud to learn in GV because this school shows that learning English is not just sitting in the classroom. As others can see, GV provides us also with an opportunity to participate in exciting events. We could feel like real actors then. I doubt if other schools can assure their students similar experience. I would like to thank all supervisors for their hard work. Your efforts led to really good results.
In summary, I’m really happy that I had a role in the show. All actors, the atmosphere during the rehearsals, and the show were unforgettable. I hope that next year we will repeat this event, but of course with some other play. :)

‘Oh, Romeo, if you really want to marry me … ’

Taking part in Romeo and Juliet was quite an experience for me. Although I had played before, it was different this time. I think that’s because the performance was outside. I didn’t expect many people to come so I was really surprised when I saw a little crowd. Actors always feel cheered on when they see the audience, and especially when the audience react spontaneously. By the smiles on their faces I could tell that they enjoyed the play. Though we had some minor technical problems, as professionals ;), we managed to overcome all the obstacles and bring the show to a successful end.
At times we were tired of the rehearsals, but they proved very helpful, because there was no stage fright left when time for the ‘first night’ had come. We did a good job and should be proud of ourselves. One thing is certain – there are some great acting talents among us and I bet we’ll hear about them soon. ;)

‘Tybalt killed Mercutio, sir.’

At first I was a bit sceptical about putting on Romeo and Juliet again. Fortunately, before one rehearsal, I changed my opinion. I found out that it’s not shame to take part in our performance. I started to be really enthusiastic about it and I was having great fun.
During the whole preparation we were able to see that it would be something bigger than last year’s show. Maybe it’s because of the people we were working with. Everyone was friendly, helpful and focused on making the play as good as possible. We made lots of new friends. Last year we only rehearsed at GV, did what we had to do and went back home. This time we simply couldn’t do so because the rehearsals were outside, we were practising nearly all the time together, so it was impossible to be bored during the breaks. I saw that everybody was concentrated to give their best. The only thing I was worried about was the microphones. We hadn’t used them before and I was not sure if it would go well.
The last rehearsal was full of stress. A few things were still not going well. Some of us were forgetting their lines. When the play started everything changed. I didn’t feel nervous any more. The whole performance, in my opinion, was a great success. There were some funny moments, for example when Romeo started to giggle while he had to be dead, or when Tybalt took off my microphone during our fight.
Of course, it couldn’t have been perfect because we’re not professional actors. For sure it was far better than last year, more people could have fun with us and our friends could see us act. I still have some lines and music from the performance in my head. I know that the audience liked it, but for me it’s more important that I enjoyed it very much. I will never forget it.

‘I won’t let them get away with it!’

Kate lives in an old wooden house in Antoniuk. The house was built in the 19th century but her family has owned it since her great grandfather bought it a long time ago. The house is really important to Kate because she inherited it from her grandparents. It survived the wars and its interior has the original woodwork, that’s why it is a listed building, protected by law.
One day, when Kate was buying a paper, the newsagent told her about the changes planned in the street near her house. At first Kate didn’t believe it and decided to check if it was true. She made an inquiry with planning authorities and found out that the news was true. She got shocked and furious. She decided to protest about the decision to build a bus stop just in front of her house. This would be a disaster for the place – hundreds of buses running near the house, crowds of people, a lot of exhaust and noise.
But people at the office said it was too late to change the decision and they were going to start the road works soon. Kate is determined to confront them to protect her property.

Night time

I am the queen of the night,
Respected ruler of stars
And with my undisputed rights
I make them twinkle.
Moon – obey my orders
Clouds – bring down some rain
Stars – do what you have been doing
For five hundred million years.
Sky – please let me dance on your
Endless, navy blue dance floor
With my beloved servants –
Mars, Venus, Jupiter and Neptune.

To a meticulous teacher

Undeniably, you are a great teacher. You pay utmost attention to intricate meanings of words, complexity of modal verbs, subtle differences between tenses, silent consonants, and numerous other language points. Speaking of silence and ellipsis, don’t you think they are indispensable when it comes to saying obvious but awkward things like ‘Thank you’ or ‘Good bye’?
So before your course ends and your students and colleagues disperse on holiday to get some scorching Mediterranean, or pale British sun, make sure your pedantic acts are complete. Don’t overlook the importance of silence. In a way, it’s a form of understatement, which makes English such a great language, and goes beyond language. Teach them how to say embarrassing words without actually saying them — ‘Thank you, up yours!’, ‘Good bye, bugger off!’.

Two worlds

Mateusz from tea_six_bee wrote:

Rosie and Kylie.
That’s true
You’re all I’ve got
What’s the point?

Kylie ate cornflakes
Rosie wiped her face.
It was a good day
What’s the point?

Rosie looks after Kylie
She would never see her
Made sure that it’s OK.
What’s the point?

She could go
As far as she might.
But she refused.
What’s the point?

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