I learned it good at school...

I managed to dodge poetry for A-Level somehow. I think we did Making History as a second play instead of any poetry. 

In the words of that great philosopher, Celine Dion, it's all coming back to me now. I do recall starring as Tony in 'West Side Story'. Yes, I know right? Jerome Robbins clearly knew nothing about it because I don't recall being put through my paces with his choreography. Or maybe I just couldn't be faffed and thought I knew better. It's possible.

I also recall having to write an original play set around the Bristol Riots. My group and I chose to present it as a news report which kept getting interrupted by an old episode of 'Dallas'. Mainly because we weren't interested in the Bristol Riots but did want to swan around with Texas accents pretending to be Sue Ellen Ewing.

We also presented 'The Importance of Being Earnest' and studied a bit of Oscar Wilde. Yours truly was Algernon natch. A role I believe I've carried on through most of my adult life as it happens.

Ah memories. Let's just say that when the time came to have a conversation with my parents, they were already a couple of steps ahead of me.

Nineveh city was a city of sin
The jazzing and the jiving made a terrible din
Beat groups playing rock and roll
And the Lord he said 'Bless My Soul'

Such great lyrics.

We also did 'Rooster Rag' which was based on the Nun Priest's Tale

Well you obviously learnt the bear necessities elsewhere....

You're lucky. I can remember all the books & plays I studied in English & I wish I could forget some of them!

Plays: Year 7 A Midsummer's Night's Dream, Year 8 The Tempest, Year 9 The Merchant of Venice & Romeo and Juliet, GCSE Macbeth & An Inspector Calls. I detested the last two. I've always preferred comedies.

Our school drama competition mercifully got cancelled during my time there but not before I'd lurked in the background as a schoolgirl in scenes from A Little Princess & got out of being in scenes from Pygmalion by organising the costumes. The aforesaid drama competition was also the location of my first ever mid-show walk out. Well, not exactly mid show, I lasted probably under 2 minutes of scenes from Sweeney Todd before walking out.

I was lucky with my GCSE 19th century novel option with Sense and Sensibility as I like Austen. Some groups had to do Dickens (who I'm so-so on) or Hardy (who I dislike). I hated the 20th century novel, Of Mice and Men. In previous years we'd already done The Great Gatsby & To Kill a Mockingbird. Collectively they engendered in me a lifelong detestation of novels dealing with the destruction of the American Dream & I don't think I've read a single American novel since finishing GCSE English.

Now this is my era too. Country dancing (Virginia Reel , anyone?), classical record playing as we came in for assembly (Mozart French Horn Rondo), and Singing Together (Lillibulero... "there was an old woman who lived in a basket, seventeen times as high as the moon...") Great memories.

Back on topic ...
O level - "Henry V" (I've loved "upon the king" before Agincourt ever since "And what art thou, thou idol ceremony?")
A Level - "Coriolanus" (not everybody's choice, I think, but I'm still in 2 minds all these years later as to how noble/ignorant he is. Take your pick). Also "Miller's "A view from the Bridge" (a wonderful modern day Greek tragedy)
Degree level- "Measure for Measure", and Ibsen's "Hedda Gabler" (problems, problems).

Growing up in the Socialist Republic of South Yorkshire in the 1980s, the classics were considered to be far too bourgeois to be either taught, or visited on school trips. We didn't even have to study English Literature if we didn't want to, so I didn't. As for a school uniform, forget it.

We did have a drama department, if it can be called that, housed in a Potakabin in the car park, led by the rather eccentric Mr Firth, who drove an orange kit car, obvs. If we performed anything, it would have been agitprop.

At college i played the Bridegroom in Lorca's Blood Wedding. I was the campest groom you could meet. Its a thankless role.

We also did The Duchess of Malfi and i was thhe Cardinal.

Serious drama's weren't my thing. At all.

I have the score to it somewhere.

And Captain Noah and His Amazing Floating Zoo

There is a Naxos recording of Jonah, Rooster and others by Michael Hurd under the title of Pop Cantatas.

It might just have slipped into my Amazon basket...

Did someone mention Hiddles Hamlet?

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