Inspections of any kind are never feared at Oxford High, but could one be positively welcomed? It’s a resounding ‘Yes’ from our Year 8s, having watched, and participated in, three workshop performances of Gogol’s ‘The Government Inspector’ that were full of playfulness and OHS spirit.
Following a series of weekly workshops on Brechtian techniques, the groups were let loose on Paul King’s mini version of Gogol’s well-loved play. Their task: utilise as many Brechtian techniques as possible and keep the performance to 15 minutes or less.
The girls certainly rose to the challenge, with highly inventive performances that showcased Brecht’s techniques and as well as their own creativity. We particularly enjoyed each group’s re-working of a well-known song, with lyrics from the perspective of the corrupt and patently useless town council and accompanying dance routine.
Congratulations to the Yellow Group (Students’ Choice: Most Enjoyable Performance), Blue Group (Most Brechtian Performance) and Red Group (Most Ambitious Production).
