The Big Brum Theatre Company
On the 9th and 10th of April, Smith’s Wood Academy has been the home of The Big Brum Theatre Company who treated us to their latest version of ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ a gothic horror tale written by Robert Louis Stevenson in 1886 and is relevant today as it ever has been. It follows Gabriel John Utterson, a London-based legal practitioner who investigates a series of strange occurrences between his old friend, Dr. Henry Jekyll and a murderous criminal named Edward Hyde. It depicts good versus evil and how it is possible for humanity to be both good and evil at the same time, coining the phrase ‘ Jekyll and Hyde’ meaning polar opposites.
The performances were AMAZING, and the actors, Adam Nicolls, Katherine Lea, James Mole, and Paul Magson were INCREDIBLE. Each year group was treated to a performance in our theatre with a live, mobile set that was moved after every scene was played out. At times it was a hard watch because it covered topics of poverty, mental health decline, suicide and substance abuse albeit set 140 years ago when times were very different compared to today.
Adam Nicolls played both Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and at the start of each performance asked the students to think about themselves and how they seem themselves really and not just what they saw in their reflection. Self-image was what lies behind the reflection and is a key theme of the story. Students were shocked and amazed in equal measure at the quality of the drama happening in front of their eyes and the aim was to shock but also to inspire a career in the arts, especially theatre and acting. Many of our students had never seen a live performance in the flesh so this was a very special moment for the school.
