On Thursday 3rd October, the English Department led a Year 9, 10 and 11 theatre trip to see Stephen Daldry’s fantastic stage production of J.B. Priestley’s play, ‘An Inspector Calls’, at the Theatre Severn in Shrewsbury. Hailed as the theatrical event of our generation, winning more accolades than any other play in history, students watched, in awe, as their GCSE text was brought to life.
As the play opened with a small blitz urchin pushing his way through the red velvet curtains, our students were forgiven for thinking that Miss Jones had booked tickets for the wrong play. However, as the curtains parted to reveal the ‘fairly large suburban house’ belonging to the ‘prosperous manufacturer’ – Arthur Birling – they were quickly reassured that this was the play for them.
This multi award-winning production centres on the disruption of the Birling’s ‘special occasion’ – the engagement of Sheila Birling to Gerald Croft – by the ‘sharp ring of a front door bell’. This signifies the entrance of the mysterious character of Inspector Goole, following the death of a young girl: Eva Smith. What follows is a lesson on social responsibility, encouraging us to recognise the importance of ‘community’ – something we pride ourselves on at the college. Without a doubt, this visionary, radical and challenging version of the play, quite literally, brought the house down! What a way to spend a Thursday afternoon!
