DCSZ Students Shine at Dulwich Shakespeare Festival

At DCSZ, performing arts have always been a key component of our comprehensive educational approach. In support of this ideal, Dulwich Group has formed a valuable collaborative partnership with the world-renowned Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). As one of only six distinguished global RSC learning partners, our schools receive yearly visits from RSC practitioners who provide students and teachers with training in the performing arts.

This year, the Dulwich Shakepeare Festival (DSF) was held at Dulwich College Beijing from the 26 to 28 of October. Students from seven Dulwich family schools participated in the festival, including Dulwich College Suzhou.

Mr Ben Wills, our Drama Teacher, was one of the staff who attended the festival with our students this year. 

“We began preparations for the DSF two months ago. Throughout the festival, students from the different Dulwich family schools took to the stage every night, showcasing their unique performances. The festival provided an excellent opportunity for students to share their talents and to support one another.

At the DSF, students and teachers had the freedom to either perform their own interpretations of Shakespeare’s plays, or to devise their own performances that incorporated Shakespearean language and themes, encouraging exploration and creativity. They also had the opportunity to participate in a range of engaging drama workshops organized by teachers from the RSC. These workshops allowed students to delve deeper into various drama skills and concepts. They learned about script writing, exploring the use of status to convey themes and relationships, creating conflicts and tension within performances, and honed their abilities to express themselves through body language and voice.”

Mr Wills also provided some suggestions to the wider group of students - 

"For those students who did not participate in the DSF this time, I encourage you to consider joining next year! It is a truly enriching and enjoyable experience that allows you to make friends from the other Dulwich schools, and to explore and discover new things that you may not have known about drama and about yourself. For those students who joined the DSF, I hope you had a fantastic time. Drama is a wonderful medium for self-expression, and the skills that you have learned and memories that you have made will no doubt serve you well in the future, both on and off the stage."

Being part of the Worldwise events organised by our Dulwich group, the festival provides a platform for students to bring to life a range of different characters on stage and also to reflect on and explore their own identities. It is everyone’s journey of self-discovery that is most important for each of our individual students. Transformative experiences like these empower students to pursue their dreams and contribute towards their personal growth, fostering their development as individuals.

At this year’s festival, our students performed the final scene from ‘The Comedy of Errors’ a play of mistaken identity which ends with long-lost brothers and their parents happily reunited. Let us enjoy some amazing moments from their experience - 

We are incredibly grateful to Dulwich College Beijing for hosting the event. A big thank you to Mr Wills, Ms Li and Mr Kohll who went to the Festival together with the children.