A rollercoaster ride of comedic chaos, executed effortlessly by the ambitious pupils at the leading independent girls’ school in Kent.
On the 9th – 12th February Kent College Pembury was transported from a cold English winter, to summer in Vienna at the turn of the 19th century. With specially designed sets, the most elaborate the school has seen for many years, beautiful Edwardian costumes and a cast of over 60 hugely talented actresses, this production of Tom Stoppard’s outrageous farce certainly had all the wit and panache to banish the winter blues.
The plot revolves around the chase of two naughty grocer’s assistants who, following their master’s binge with a new mistress, escape to Vienna on a spree. The complexities of Stoppard’s script were handled masterfully by the gifted cast who ensured that the audiences were left roaring with laughter.
It was clear that the cast and crew had dedicated a lot of hard work to the production, alongside the expert direction from Kent College staff. Special recognition and thanks to the school’s Head of Drama, Nigel Ashton who designed and sourced the set, as well as producing and directing the show.
Performing Arts plays an important part in the life of Kent College, thriving as an academic subject, as a major co-curricular activity and as an integral part of the Countess of Wessex productions. The department is housed in an attractive, modern, purpose-built centre and is an active, happy place where talent thrives under the direction of dedicated staff. The Good Schools’ Guide commented that ‘The school has very high expectations and the girls always seem to step up to the plate.’ Kent College students regularly continue their performing arts studies beyond school, with a number of girls pursing their dreams at university and in the workplace.