Clifton College Website

Hallward's House House Play 2011 - ‘Daisy Pulls It Off’

After following the two performances from Worcester and East Town, it was time to turn back to the light-hearted comedy of Hallward’s House. Set in the middle of the 20th Century, this play very much resembled the style of St. Trinians; school girls chasing after treasure, whilst a new girl is trying to settle in with everyone and meets certain difficulties. Directed by Venetia Sims, Lauren Gilmour and Agnes Woolley, would this House be able to pull off a well known production of the play?

The main setting was that of the school and included rooms from the headmistress’s office and the main hall. At particular moments the set changed and the audience was transported to the cliffs near the beach and into the dormitories themselves. A great moment was that of the hockey game which, with the help of the crowd following the ball, made the audience believe there could have been a match on the small Redgrave theatre.

The use of music and costume certainly set the audience for the time period of the piece. All of the school girls were able to pull off a 1950’s pupil with pig tails and upper class presence about themselves. Most of the diversity in costume range came from the teachers, from Mademoiselle (Emily King) to the headmistress (Amelia Allen) which had their own authentic costume. Another interesting factor about the play was the use of a machine that made the sound of the wind which was very creative and refreshing.

The acting itself was very charming and had the audience delving into the adventures of Daisy and the hidden treasure. Kosi Carter and Florence Woolley were very believable in their portrayal of an upper class school girl. Emily King played Mademoiselle and certainly made the audience laugh with her over-the-top accent and wild hand gestures. The other teachers all seemed to have authority and strict discipline over the pupils, but especially the Headmistress (Amelia Allen) was played with superb snobbery and clear clarity throughout.

Ellie Griffiths played the head girl with such a strong persona that the audience would have believed that she was the head girl in real life! Venetia Sims (Sybil Burlington) played the upright girl who believed that it was for the good of the school that Daisy should not be allowed in because of her background. She managed to play the plotting little girl with such ease that it was a nice twist at the end to see the character confess about her bad behaviour. This was certainly contrasting with the sweet and innocent characters of Alice Fitzpatrick and Trixie Martin, played by Esther Kavoor and Shannon Mortimore.

Finally the bold, charming and courageous character of Daisy, played by Aggie Woolley, made the audience glued to their seats as they wanted to see the story develop and see the characters progression. There were some great comedic moments from the entire cast and it was simply enjoyable to watch.

In answer to the question at the beginning, Hallward’s House certainly seemed to make this condensed version of the play very enjoyable. A surprise voice talent from Mr Pickles could see him eventually making his appearance on the stage next year. Maybe there were a couple of moments when people were not heard and this slightly affected the understanding of the plot line, but on the whole it was solid. Well done to all involved!

© 2006-12 Clifton College