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DRAMA / MUSIC 5
Taal
, 2016
Friday 9 and Saturday 10 December
saw almost two hundred pupils
from the Thirds to the Upper Sixth
take part in
Taal
. With its fusion
of dancing, music and acting,
Taal
is more than just another
School production. It has grown
over fourteen years to become an
integral, much anticipated fixture
in the School calendar as well as
an important part of the School’s
cultural life. The event is totally
student driven with members of
our Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist and
Muslim Society (HSBM Society)
writing, choreographing and
directing the event. They assume
full responsibility for everything,
from finding sponsorship from local
businesses to sourcing costumes.
Harleen Sian, one of the Presidents of the
HSBM Society, described how important
Taal
has become for her, “
Taal
is an incredibly
anticipated event each year and I cannot
imagine my school life without it. It has
allowed me to showcase my passion for all
varieties of dance and learn new styles which
I would never have experienced if it weren’t
for this amazing production. It brings to
the surface so many different cultures from
south Asia and creates a sense of pride and
community within those who take part.”
Taal
is a major fund raiser for charities and this
year supported three charities. United World
Schools, is a charity which is transforming
the lives of some of the poorest and most
vulnerable children in the World through
educational opportunities; money raised will
support a school in Cambodia. Friendsline is
a relatively new charity connecting, educating
and empowering women and girls from all
over the world. The third charity, Alzheimer’s
Research UK, was chosen for personal reasons.
Karan Shah, President of the HSBM Society,
witnessed the severity of dementia when he
saw his grandmother’s gradual deterioration
as she suffered from the disease. This year’s
Taal
was a Bancroft’s record breaker: the total
amount raised (as at the end of January) was a
fantastic £15,612.
The Mayor of Redbridge, Cllr Gurdial Bhamra,
attended the Saturday performance and
described it as, “one of the best musical
event in my calendar year as the Mayor of
Redbridge. What pleased more was that pupils
from all different faiths and communities
took part in producing, directing and taking
part in all elements of the show. That is real
community cohesion.” Head, Mr Simon
Marshall said that
Taal
was a “joyous and
wonderful evening’s entertainment. All
students involved are to be congratulated.”
The Peach Child
Benedict Hughes, L4S
On the 29 November a cast of
fifteen juniors put on a production
of the magical Japanese fairytale
The Peach Child
, directed by OB
Katherine Stevens. Our director,
Katherine, returned to Bancroft’s
after three years at university to run
the play, showing our amateur cast
techniques and styles which she
has picked up in many prestigious
events and studios. Katherine was
assisted by Sixth Formers Fola
Amuludun and Aarya Sajilal.
The play is about a child named Momotaro,
who was played by Olivia Page. Momotaro
goes on a quest to rid the world of evil and is
joined along the way by her “spirit animals”,
voiced by Meera Patel as Lady Pheasant,
Georgia Moncur as Lady Monkey and Marisol
Rojas as Lady Dog. Many of the characters in
the play – from the spirit animals to new-
born babies to trolls - were brought to life
by puppeteers. The cast was onstage for
the entire production which meant we had
no time to rest or fall out of character as
we moved through careful choreography to
take the audience on a journey from a tiny
Japanese village, through forests, mountains
and across an ocean to a dangerous island
inhabited by monsters. On top of this was
overlaid careful sound design, prop work and
the addition of what
seemed like hundreds
of candles to give the
production a calm and
ethereal atmosphere.
We also wrestled with
the novel challenge of
singing in Japanese!
After numerous
weekend rehearsals and
repetitions of “aeiou”
(to drill our Essex vowels
into better shape) the
play ran really well, even
with a bout of food poisoning striking on the
night of the performance! I would like to
give a huge thank you to Katherine, Fola and
Aarya, as they enabled us to work at our best
and made us feel like a family.