“Drama was the most significant factor in my decision to come to Eton.”
Anthony F (Year 13) recently performed in his House play Blue Remembered Hills. He joined Eton College in Year 12 as an Orwell Scholar and was awarded the MCM Drama Award due to his interest in the theatre and desire to immerse himself in Drama at the School. We caught up with Anthony after the play’s sold-out run to find out more about his experience.
What did you like about this play in particular?
Blue Remembered Hills is incredibly tumultuous, taking you through a range of experiences within just under an hour. This allowed us actors to diversify our performance and keep the audience engaged.
Playing children was also quite a challenge as in the original performance there were adults playing children, creating a much larger age gap, whereas for us there was much less time between our own age and the age of the characters. Characterisation had to be much more precise to ensure that the seven-year-olds we played did not look like teenagers just goofing around.
What was your role and how did you prepare?
I played Peter, the most unpleasant little boy I have ever encountered. I can safely say, with the rest of the cast vouching for me, that I did not go for the full method actor approach.
Instead, I looked at old videos of myself when I was younger to gauge the childish nature of the character but used film portrayals of unkind adults to inform Peter’s darker side. This demonstrated that children do pick up a lot from people who are older than them and that adults have a responsibility to make sure that they set a good example to children.
What is it like to perform as a House?
Having a whole House turnout, including staff, is always a huge boost to your confidence when you are on stage. Feeding off the energy your friends give makes performing so much easier.
It’s great for your Boarding House to have a successful play connected to its name. Boy approval across the school extends beyond just the actors in the play but reflects the culture of support within the House too.
What do you like most about Drama at school?
Drama was the most significant factor in my decision to come to Eton. As an MCM Drama Scholar, it is not only one of my largest responsibilities but one of my greatest pleasures to contribute to the theatre life in the School.
The sheer professionalism is unmatched and something that is only rivalled by the West End and Broadway. It makes sense that many boys who do choose this career are so successful because they have been practicing at industry standard for five years before they even get there.
