Senior School Play 2025: Agamemnon by Aeschylus

What would you sacrifice for success?  How far would you go to ensure victory?  Can rage be defined as grief turned outwards? 

These are all questions raised by Zinnie Harris’ punchy, modern and vibrant adaptation of Aeschylus’ ‘Oresteia’ - the only surviving example of a Greek trilogy. Written at a time when Athenian democracy was redefining itself, it set out to question society’s relationship with vengeance, violence and retribution.

I was particularly excited to work with Zinnie Harris’ 2016 adaptation - ‘This Restless House’ - due to its aim of giving women more agency.  In this version, Harris sets out to almost absolve Clytemnestra, whose actions were originally condemned, by throwing light on the complexity of grief.

For many reasons, Greek tragedies are notoriously difficult to stage. The play would demand that the students grapple with some incredibly mature themes, and that they ask some questions of their own relationships with blame, guilt and forgiveness. To portray the intensity of emotion demanded by the text, the students would need to begin acting from a place of neutrality - this is incredibly difficult, particularly for young actors. 

I also knew that we would need some pretty epic fight sequences, and a ton of blood!  

So I invited Kaitlin Howard into school to work with the students. Kaitlin is one of only three women on the Equity Register of Fight Directors - the greatest accolade you can hold as a practitioner of Stage Combat.  Kaitlin has choreographed fights for renowned theatres all over the UK - including The Royal Shakespeare Company, The Royal Lyceum, The Royal Exchange and The Liverpool Everyman. Kaitlin has also worked with Zinnie Harris herself on many occasions, including the New York transfer of her recent retelling of the Scottish play - ‘Macbeth (an undoing’).

The cast were so excited to learn how fight sequences are created, and were curious about how to make these sequences look as realistic as possible.  Kaitlin began by teaching the students about the importance of distance and angles, to ensure that even the bloodiest fight was performed as safely as possible.  She taught the students about the physics behind a fight - that they would need to highlight the ‘causality’ of the action or injury, by ensuring that they don’t ‘lean back’ from the conflict. She also taught the students that much of the credibility of a fight derives from the response of those witnessing it. 

Then there was the question of the blood.  Without giving too much away about the production, I am worried for Brad and Stuart’s beautiful floor that they are currently creating for us. Kaitlin taught the students how, by using clingfilm, sellotape and a few paper cups, we could quite veritably portray some horrific injuries.  For more on that, you need to see the show! 

Before the workshop, many of the students didn’t know that the role of a Fight Director existed.  It was a great lesson that there are many other interesting roles in theatre - not just those on show!  It was especially wonderful to see the girls so inspired and motivated by Kaitlin’s strength and ferocity - and to witness them being encouraged to be physically bold and fearless. 

We are incredibly lucky that Kaitlin has agreed to visit us again in the technical rehearsal to ensure that the fights are ticking over safely. 

The pupils continue to work exceptionally well in rehearsals, and I have been so proud of their commitment—not just to the show, but to the craft of acting. Without giving too much away, there are moments in this show that give me goosebumps, even after seeing them performed many times in rehearsal. This is a production where the students are really “digging deep”, and I’m confident that their dedication will shine through in a truly explosive performance. If even one audience member leaves the theatre thinking about the show long after the final curtain, we will have done our job well!

Mrs Ceri-Lyn Cissone-Hunter, Drama