THE BECKAFORD WAR - THE PLAY THAT WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN
Academy Head Mrs Alex Waterman writes:
Last term, Year 6 Beckaford class at Moretonhamstead School performed a play based on real-life World War II events to mark Remembrance Day. The production, titled The Beckaford War, was written, produced and directed by Year 6 pupils with the support of guidance of local performing arts company, MED Theatre.
“Their play was a huge success and they should all feel really proud of themselves,” commented MED Theatre staff member Helen. Responsible for writing scenes in groups, the children based their ideas on local war stories – many of which were shared by MED Theatre worker, Helen, but others were inspired by events retold by friends and relatives. This project was funded by a Paul Hamlyn grant supported by extra funding from THF and is part of a two-year engagement with MED theatre continuing into 2023."
"The Beckaford War began with young Edith (played by Emily) hugging her mum (played by Sennen) and saying an emotional goodbye at the train station before being evacuated to the countryside."
"Whilst undoubtedly entertaining, The Beckaford War did what it set out to do: to respectfully remember those people who fought in the war. The final scene was emotional with the laying of poppies at the foot of a cenotaph, linking with an earlier scene in which a wife (played by Amber) collapsed to the ground after being given the devastating news of her husband’s death via telegram."
Max, a Year 6 actor, said: "MED Theatre were really enthusiastic and helped a lot to improve our acting skills.”
Terrific project Moretonhampstead! Good luck for this year's further work.