GCSE Drama Students Experience Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Seeing how stories can be transformed from screen to stage is an important part of developing as a theatre-maker. Ahead of half term, our GCSE Drama students in Years 10 and 11 travelled to London’s West End to watch the award-winning Stranger Things: The First Shadow at the Phoenix Theatre.
Now in its third year in the West End, the production continues to attract large audiences and has won two Olivier Awards, including Best Set Design. Set in Hawkins, Indiana, in 1959, the story follows the arrival of a mysterious new student whose presence begins to disturb the town’s seemingly ordinary life.
The production’s ambitious technical elements proved a particular highlight for our students. Combining inventive scenic design with impressive illusions and visual effects, the show demonstrated what can be achieved through live theatre on a large scale. The craftsmanship behind these moments sparked plenty of discussion about staging, design and technical theatre.
The trip also provided valuable insight into how a popular screen story can be adapted for the stage, supporting students’ understanding ahead of their own practical and written coursework.
