On Friday, April 19, the Upper School travelled to the Shaw Festival, Niagara-on-the-Lake, to see Agatha Christie’s Witness for the Prosecution, a murder mystery / courtroom drama that has been an audience favourite for more than fifty years.
Pre-show, the students were treated to an exclusive behind-the-scenes workshop where they saw set-pieces up close and experienced the magic of staging a play. The volunteers who gave the backstage tour were extremely knowledgeable. They split the students up into small groups and showed them the rehearsal rooms, under the stage, the people who make all the costumes, and where actors get their hair cut so that their wigs can fit for the entire season. After the tour everyone had lunch, explored the charming town for a bit, some got ice cream, and then lined up at the historic Royal George Theatre.
Ms. Christie, the world’s best-selling fiction writer, and the Shaw, Ontario’s own internationally renowned theatre, delivered a riveting journey of justice, mystery, and intrigue to Hawthorn. Sofia said it would be wonderful to meet the actors, and, amazingly, a staff member helpfully showed a side door where the actors exited and met with Hawthorn students! Sofia was really excited because one of the actors had performed in a play that she had seen last year.
Post-theatre, everyone split into grades and went out to enjoy dinner together at different restaurants. This unforgettable thespian experience will continue to be explored back in class, and for years to come.
