In GCSE Drama, we saw a performance of Splendid Production’s rendition of The Government Inspector on Monday 18 March.

Many changes to the original play were made by the team at Splendid which added to the quality of this play, which focuses on the Mayor of a small town as he prepares for the arrival of a Government Inspector.

Members of the preparation committee include the Director of Charities, with zero control over anything, the overconfident Police Superintendent, and twin landowners Barker and Parker. Other characters include Kirkley, the fake Government Inspector, his servant Oswald and the Mayor’s family. The show ends with the Mayor realising that Kirkley was not actually the Government Inspector!

The set was constructed using just a rope and all of the props were laid out on the ground ready for the actors to use. The performance at Ipswich School was part of the last week of Splendid Productions tour and we greatly enjoyed watching the performance. After this there was a workshop for Year 10 students, and another one for Sixth Form students, led by the Splendid Productions actors.

They helped us explore the use of space through many different activities. We learnt how to emphasise our character through the use of body language. It was very interactive and everyone had a lot of fun and we learnt lots of new skills. We worked individually as well as in pairs and groups which allowed everyone to work on leadership roles and teamwork.

Overall it was a very constructive workshop and we will all be able to incorporate the skills we have learned into our GCSE Drama course.

Souparno L and Holly M, Year 10