Article Date: 21 April 2016
Article Date: 21 April 2016
On Friday 18 March, the Year 12 English Literature class had the opportunity to visit the Victoria and Albert museum in London to watch a digitised performance of the play ‘Jerusalem’- a state of the nation play that centres on the rebellious Johnny ‘Rooster’ Byron.
We are studying the play as part of our A Level syllabus and the V&A is the only place that holds a copy of the performance due to the playwright of ‘Jerusalem’ Jez Butterworth believing that watching a play live is what gives the audience a unique thrill. Before watching the play we were able to have a look around the Theatre and Performance section of the museum which contained an extensive collection of theatrical designs, memorabilia and books. All of this area was interesting, but one part that I found particularly compelling were the theatre costumes.
It was really helpful to actually see ‘Jerusalem’ performed as it will help us to analyse it as an actual drama, rather than as if it were a novel, which is what you risk if you only read it. The play itself was really captivating and I think that was due to a mix of the humorous dialogue and the performance of the main character by Mark Rylance; however some of the drama of the original show was lost through the screening which was a shame.
Overall, the day was extremely helpful and equally enjoyable, the V&A was also fascinating and I only wish we had more time to look around.
Megan Lynch, Year 12 English Literature Student
