One of the highlights of the GCSE Drama year is the main theatre trip. This year, students from Years 10 and 11 visited the New London Theatre, Drury Lane to see the spectacular “War Horse”, based on Michael Morpurgo’s book of the same name.

Set during World War I, this production tells the tale of Albert, a young man who rears a foal, a hunter, on his father’s farm in Devon. When Joey (the horse) reaches adulthood, his father breaks his promise to the lad and sells the horse to the army to be shipped off to France. The story follows Albert as he signs up under age to search for Joey in the battle fields of Flanders. This beautiful play shows us the lives of those back at home, desperately waiting for news; it focuses on the thoughts and fears of the British soldiers struggling through the mud on the Somme; we see the war through the eyes of some of the German officers who also simply want to get home to their families and we experience the fighting from the viewpoint of the horses who played such a vital role in warfare and, indeed, in domestic and agricultural life during the early 20^th Century.

So what is it that has drawn so many people to this show? The puppets. The horses in this incredible production are all life-size puppets that run, nuzzle, plough and pull their way through the landscapes of the First World War. The actors ride them and they seem to breathe in front of us, the skilful puppeteers melting away, disappearing against the “animals” they represent.

The thrilling technical aspects of this play, alongside its relevance to today’s generation of students who have been so recently plunged into the centenary reflections of WWI, made this show the ideal choice for GCSE Drama students this year. The students gained so much from this visit, both in terms of their knowledge of theatre and their understanding of the conditions, attitudes and impact of a time that survives only in art, literature and photographs.

So what did the students think?......

“I wouldn’t have believed that puppets could be so real,” -Beth Slee

“It was amazing! The whole thing had me clinging to my seat. I’m just looking for another excuse to go and see it!” – Tia Woodworth

“It opened my eyes to new dramatic techniques!” -Ryan Murphy

“I couldn’t believe how actors could create the set and scenery with simple sticks and an empty space. I could see the horses’ hearts beating, breathing!” – Lucy Blackmore

“I would recommend this play to anyone! It was so emotional, magical and so different to the musicals I normally go to see. I felt so involved with the characters and the puppets….it was personal!” –Beth Warren