Harrow Drama has had a busy start to the academic year, with social distancing for audiences, and careful additional measures for the safety of boys and staff not stopping a diverse and dynamic programme in the Ryan Theatre.

In September, the second annual House Scenes Competition took place, with each House producing and presenting a dramatic extract. Mr James Trapmore, Head of Curricular Drama at King’s College School, Wimbledon, commended the high standard of focus and creativity across the board, before awarding the House Scenes Trophy to The Grove for their witty, momentum-filled excerpt from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.

A week later, Upper Sixth form boys Max (Rendalls) and Gabe (The Knoll) produced Waiting for Godot, with a cast of boys from their year group. A reconfigured ‘in-the-round’ Ryan Theatre provided an appropriately atmospheric arena for Samuel Beckett’s existential, metatheatrical masterpiece.

Just before half-term, every new boy took to the stage, across four performances, in this year’s Shell Drama Festival. Each House presented a version of one of Hans Christian Andersen’s tales, devised and directed by Lower Sixth form boys. OH actor Tobias Deacon joined the groups on stage as a narrator ‘in-role’ and accompanist. The Ryan Theatre Production Crew, made up of staff and boys from all year groups, created a striking wintery design – making every audience member reflect on summer as a distant memory.