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  • zeroplus Theatre
  • May. 5, 2015

WHAT PUPILS THOUGHT OF ‘ALL OUR HEROES’…

Our new production opened at our London hub Cranford Community College with performance over three days. Working with the Drama Studies and Creative Writing departments, the pupils were encouraged to write their thoughts and reviews about the show. Here’s a selection of them.

“At first I believed that the play would be created around the topic of war only; that it would be dull like all the war plays I have reviewed, however when the play started I was grabbed by the performance skills and I found it very interesting.interesting as it was from a different perspective. Their aim was to mark the centenary of the First World War; ‘all our heroes’ explores the stories and perspectives of men and women from the Indian sub-continents far, far away.

…..I think that it was thought- provoking because it was from a complete different perspective, one that is  never told to us in schools and we had never learnt it for example we were always shown the British side of the war and how they felt during the war these performances made it sound like people who were living in the Asian countries were not in so much tension and that they were in good living conditions but when I saw this play I realized they too were suffering badly from the war. 

Personally I think that the play was valuable to watch, this is because it makes all of us aware of the things happening in other countries and reminds us of how much we have developed during the past centuries. Also it reminds us the role that was played by each country during the world war. The message of the play probably was to show that life was not easy for anybody and that they were also suffering throughout the world war. From this performance I learnt that I should view different things from a different perspective. I understood the play very well and enjoyed it a lot due to there being only 3 main actors which made it easier for you to focus on. The theatre and stage being small made the audience feel closer and connected to the actors.”  
Diba Sarvari – Year 11 GCSE Drama student 2015

“All Our Hero’s play was very dramatic and engaging as it was based on people’s lives which then made you feel more connected to the play. The fact that the main story was about war and from the perspectives of the people who lived in India it made the play even more powerful as it has not been spoken about it before and how some countries just got pulled into the war without having a choice.  It went into depth and detail about how this war affected different classes and statuses in India. The piece was presented with only 3 actors; who played many different characters, who made the switches through the use of costume. The use of limited props but made it even more effective and in depth because of their symbolic meaning for example the ladder that was symbolic of the how the farmers towed their land, and the it was used as the barrier between the countries who were at war and finally as a look out post on the rooftop of a home in a village where a young boy looks out for his father and then a look out post in England where they are looking for enemies approaching.”  
Zara Choudhry – Year 11   GCSE Drama student 2015“My personal response on this play is that I think the play was really good it had a lot of passion to it but I think there could have been more longer because I would wanted to get more engaged in the play because it was really intense”   
Nia Morgan Herman – Year 11 GCSE Drama student

 

And finally from their teacher – Seema Sethi – Head of Performing Arts

The play opens your eyes to a wider world…a world that is not part of the regular curriculum.  It delves into the lives of villagers in a distant land but soon brings home to you the thing that connects us all….the theme of loss, longing and suffering.

When you have productions like this performed in the heart of the school community you can see the impact immediately through their endearment and responses.  Some of the comments made by the younger members in the audience were profound…’it has made me think of history in a different way….the effects of war on the lives of real people….not just soldiers….but families and also children….like me’

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