2008/2009 King Lear

KING LEAR

This year, the school drama production was moved back on the calendar in anticipation of the completion of the Lilburn Hall. The production crew went right to work in late April in preparation for the May performances during the last week of school.

King Lear was chosen way back in August 2008 and auditions began in September. The ambitious project was selected partially for its relevance to the 5^th Year English classes studying Lear for the 2010 Leaving Certificate, its challenging material for the performers, and of course its classic timelessness. It was decided to set this Lear in 1922 Civil War Ireland. This difficult period in Irish history, when familial political strife reared its destructive head, was selected to reflect the mood and thematic material of the play. Authentic uniforms and weapons from the period were used, as well as (extremely loud) blanks, creating a truly atmospheric King Lear.

The biggest challenge was encountered by the actors themselves. They were drawn from the Transition Year and Form V, joined by Form V girls from Alexandra College and Transition Year girls from Rathdown School. And as a special surprise, King Lear was played by returning Old Boy, Aaron Heffernan. Aaron is currently studying Drama in Trinity College and his energetic, yet sensitive performance lent a certain gravitas to the overall production. As a matter of fact, all the young men and women playing the demanding roles in King Lear rose to the challenge and did justice to the script. The Bard would have been proud.