Programme

I was so excited by the fact that I was going to go watch POT because I know that my friend Malachai’s brother (Miles) is a good actor. I arrived a bit late, so I missed around 15 minutes of

Overall, I felt like POT had a very interesting and relatable plot that connected with young adults my age. The key themes included violence, aggression and gang culture, which in my eyes connect perfectly to the rising gang related violence

The first step out of the theatre space was literally like a breath of fresh air. POT transferred the annoyance, irritability, and frustration of Louisa over to myself in the 90 minutes running time. And this isn’t to say that

I enjoyed POT because it was about modern society and was particularly relatable for me personally. The play revolved around gang culture and, despite not being part of a gang myself, this related with me as I know people close

My first initial response upon arriving to the cafe area before entering the performance space was that I felt relaxed and chilled due to the music being played on the speakers and the smell of coffee calmed me down. We

The Clock was my favourite exhibition out of all of them that I saw during the trip because it was so different to what I usually would define as ‘art’. It kept changing scenes throughout the film, pulling in my

I actually didn’t think that I would enjoy The Clock when I first heard about it, as it is basically a compilation of clocks and the time in one continuous 24-hour movie. However, when I actually watched the piece, it

As a person who is very free and doesn't like the constraints of time, I thought that The Clock was a very odd exhibition. Christian Marclay stated that "Time is at the centre of everything we do. As much as

Coming from a non-arts background, I was still able to appreciate the true work of Christian Marclay’s film, The Clock. At first glance, I wasn’t able to comprehend the level of intricacy behind the connoted ideas surrounding time. Evidently, one

The Jenny Holzer exhibition was quite small, but it managed to fit so much inside. The bright lights were so intriguing; it was as if they were setting the tone for the gallery, like the room in a way was

In my opinion, the Jenny Holzer exhibition was made to at times strike discomfort in those that viewed it, while also displaying messages that the public can relate to. In her opening room, she managed to represent the post-truth era

The Jenny Holzer exhibition was engaging, fascinating and thought-provoking due to the different mediums she uses. She did not just paint a picture, but really thought of how she could get her message over to her audience. Holzer wants everyone

Initially I thought that we were going to see fine art pieces such as paintings and sculpture, but when we arrived the art work was not what I expected. Jenny Holzer’s work used mixed media such as print and posters

I have seen Holzer’s art before, as I visited Tate Modern just as summer ended. Yet seeing the same pieces of art work again was different, because it really dawned on me how many different interpretations or ideas you can

What I liked most out of Jenny Holzer’s pieces were the “protect me from what I want” plaque and the “raise boys and girls the same way” quote inscribed on a marble bench. I liked the plaque because I believe

When I first thought about a trip to The Tate, I thought that I would see acrylic paint on canvas. I was clearly wrong from the moment I stepped into the Jenny Holzer exhibition, as I could see several 100

My initial impression of the exhibition was that it was like peering into someone’s mind and looking into their thoughts. The initial room, with walls covered in text, was a kind of literal mind map of thoughts. The cryptic and

As I entered the first room of the exhibition I was overwhelmed by the amount of words in black and white, which had been taken from library books that covered the walls of the room. Some sentences didn’t make sense

The Jenny Holzer exhibition had some larger pieces made from LED lights which I didn’t like due to the jarring flashing lights, which hurt my eyes and made it hard to read the phrases that were being shown. I wouldn’t

Jenny Holzer’s exhibition featured condoms, LED lights and marble benches. I enjoyed this art because of its simplicity and the fact that it was so inviting. I found the glass case containing scientific and mathematical theories surrounding a row of

After visiting Holzer’s Artist rooms, I can safely say that I have been able to find a newfound appreciation for modern art. Holzer, like many modern artists, has taken a vastly different approach to art; drifting away from the art

I am not even going to lie to you, I thought The Dark was amazing. I was surprised by the amount of characters that were performed in the play, which consisted of only two actors who all managed to take

On hearing the name The Dark I first associated the play with the horror genre. However, once the play began the themes of the struggle for freedom, hardship and the reality of Idi Amin’s Uganda were depicted onstage. Actor Michael

With a play named "The Dark" you would assume that the lighting would be mediocre at best, but that assumption would be nullified the second you walk into the theatre. The impeccable use of directed lighting as well as appropriately

The Dark was a very confusing story but at the same time I understood what was happening in the play because the actors made it clear at times when they changed characters. It was about a boy who was taken

I thought that The Dark was brilliant and an outstanding play. It was mysterious and highlighted the problems that are currently arising within society, such as the struggles of immigration. I really loved the way the two actors played many

In society there has been an overall desensitisation of the public, with the overwhelming number of news reports showing conflict and international crises. And with an overwhelming number of negative news reports, it is much easier to detach ourselves, than

Hearing the title, The Dark, made me think of what the play could be about. Thoughts ran through my head from dark experiences or things literally associated with the word ‘dark’. Firstly, the view of the stage really shocked me

The Dark had many captivating elements. One was the set design lighting and props. I was really impressed by the thought put into the set design. The lighting changed depending on the atmosphere and location; for example, when one of

I really enjoyed how The Dark used a lot of lighting effects and metaphors to create vivid ideas in the audience’s mind which could be inferred freely. I thought that the idea of escapism was presented throughout the play, as

For me The Dark was good but quite confusing. The storyline involved a group of Ugandans making their way to the UK and on their travels, they encountered an array of different people along the way, leading to only the

The experience that I had at 'The Dark' was amazing as I have been able to witness a play that included the experiences of Ugandan child soldiers. I enjoyed being able to connect with the actors as they asked us

The Saatchi Gallery was in fact, bigger than I had expected and bigger than it looked from the outside. I did not expect there to be three floors worth of work and 14 galleries. Before the visit, I had never

It was a very positive experience to learn more about different artists’ views and opinions towards several past and present world problems. Aleksandra Mir is an artist that was born in 1970 in Poland and worked in London. She artist

At the Saatchi Gallery I honestly had no clue what to expect. However, one thing that I definitely did not expect was the smell of the gallery to be so strong that it gave me a serious headache, I had

I am not going to lie to you, in my opinion the exhibition was not that great. I really did not like the smell of the whole gallery and I thought that overall the art was confusing. My favourite piece

Abstract and broad is an overview of what I experienced at the gallery, as these pieces of art were not what I expected at all. Each different gallery had their own sub-themes linking to the overall exhibition title. I thought

My favourite piece in this exhibition was Valerie Hegarty’s piece Niagara Falls in the first gallery. This depicted a painting of the Niagara Falls, which was torn apart and instantly attracted my attention as I entered the room. Hegarty centres

One thing I have to remember when I watch plays or movies or go to art galleries is that everything is set up a certain way for a reason. People are paid just to set up these spaces and they

I feel as if Steve Bishop’s sculpture represents how we treat animals currently. I say this because many, or arguably all, animals have progressively become as insignificant as many household objects with examples of this being how we have bred

When I first entered the Saatchi Gallery, I was slightly confused because usually when you go to an art gallery, everything is cordoned off with ropes, but this wasn’t the case here. Another way the Saatchi was different from usual

As it’s been three weeks since the trip, I can barely remember what the exhibition was about. This could possibly be because I found it slightly boring but also because it felt a bit bombarding and hard to take in.

Lynn Nottage’s Sweat left me shook. It brilliantly captured the debilitating sense of frustration of those trapped at the hands of giant corporations, making it very easy for its audience to empathise with the characters. It was so jarring sometimes

During the pre-show workshop there was a phrase that was said which really stuck in my mind: ‘you don’t really owe anyone anything.’ This made me think of Oscar, who was always present, always there watching. Yet no one greeted

At first, I was confused at the start of the play. Two men, a counsellor and a younger white man, were shouting at one another. It then went back into the past and started to play the series of events

After watching Lynn Nottage’s play Sweat, I left appreciative of the several themes that were tackled, some of which I had not seen before in a theatre production. These themes included the idea of the American Dream, addiction and race

I greatly enjoyed Sweat and its close ties to things happening both in America and here in Britain. I feel as if it actually touched upon subjects that aren’t real talked about in the news when discussing political elections. Although

Personally, I felt that a lot of people were shocked to see a bunch of black kids walk into the theatre. From the moment we arrived I felt people staring and giving confused looks; one man almost had a heart

SWEAT. When I hear this word, the things that comes to mind are probably what comes to the minds of most people: sweating, a very hot day, hard labour, and oddly, ice cream that is melting on a cone in

Sweat is an intriguing and thought-provoking play that for me explores two key themes. The first is individualism vs collectivism. This theme is prevalent in the character arcs of Cynthia and Oscar.

While at the play, I got a better understanding of the working class and how the social status of people can be affected by the state of the economy. The part of the play that I most enjoyed was when

This play has so many messages embedded in the plot that it is hard to write about one specific thing. But what stayed with me even after the play was done is the line ‘Who are you now?’. It stayed

The story of someone trying to save something is saturated in the theatre market, yet in hindsight this play doesn’t employ the same predictable storyline. However, the play does utilise that stereotype and subvert the viewer's expectation of what is

The Convert hurt my feelings. A lot, and unnecessarily. For that, I have to thank actors, Letitia Wright, Paapa Essiedu, Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo, and Pamela Nomvete, who excellently and passionately depicted a story of religious and racial conflict, hypocrisy and

Coming from an African background, I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of this play because when plays are set in or focus on Africa, they tend to do a poor job of portraying it well or they make me

When we first got properly inside the Young Vic, I was kind of surprised because I thought the stage would be ‘boom’ in front of us, but it was actually ‘in the round’. I was sat right in front of

Before I walked in the theatre, I didn’t expect The Convert to be that kind of play that would teach me about the ongoing problems in Zimbabwe. Before I went, I expected the play to be a more modern play,

The Convert was beautifully written by Diana Gurira and directed by Ola Ince. As I sat in my seat, I really liked my view and the staging because it was in a 360 degrees format where everyone could see the

The Convert consisted of so many topics and ideas, making it very enjoyable to watch. The play made me think about many different themes as well as being entertained at the same time. One theme that stood out to me

Firstly, I have learnt a very important lesson- NEVER underestimate the seat number on your theatre ticket because it might just be the best seat ever. At first when I was given my ticket by Yasmin, (because she booked it),

This trip to the theatre was the best I have ever been to. I really had fun watching this play. Overall the play contained many different themes such as religion, love, identity and choice. I think that I found this

The never-ending feeling of confusion is still haunting me. What’s happening? Why is there a blackout? What is she saying? What’s that sound? These were all questions whizzing in my mind whilst I sat watching the Berberian Sound Studio production.

The psychological horror play, Berberian Sound Studio, was lit! One thing that I found most interesting were the Foley artists as they created sound effects such as breaking bones with celery and flying birds through the flapping of gloves. The

Berberian Sound Studio. Even the title is creepy! When I found out that the show was a ‘thriller,’ I was worried because I do not like watching scary films. The idea of audience participation stresses me out, so to think

Blackouts. Pitch black. A void of obsidian. How ironic that this reflects our society at this present time. But we all know that darkness bears no light. Without sound we would be left to imagine what we would be seeing

Having had a workshop prior to the show, I thought I would be bored by it because there was little to still be surprised about. I was wrong. Throughout the show, I felt confused despite having had the whole plot

Sis this play was spooky, I mean sis popped off! At first, I had no idea what I was going to watch but after the workshop it gave me an insight on what the play was going to be about,

When I first heard about the play and what it was about, I knew I would either hate it get my entire life and I’m glad to say that the latter is what I experienced. Although I could talk about

When we arrived at the theatre, I thought it would be a horror play where most of the scene would be very bloody. I was extremely surprised when I realised that it was a mysterious play, where dark and hidden

So, before walking into the theatre I was confused about the production mainly because it was a psychological thriller about a sound producer helping with horror movie, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. The start of the play was

Before arriving at the theatre, I attended a workshop which involved me using Foley to get a better understand of how the sound in the play works, as well as brainstorming themes I thought would come up just by reading

A psychological thriller focused mostly on the creation of feeling through sound rather than the visuals provided. Before arriving to the workshop, I basically had no expectations, all I had heard about the play was that it was a horror

During the play I definitely felt a lot of emotions, as the plot progressed, I started to feel angry, shocked and confused. I felt shocked at the way the women were treated. Even though this play was set in the

What is art? As an individual, going to galleries hasn’t really been my thing, because I thought that they’re mostly boring and it really doesn’t engage me as a visitor. As I entered The White Cube, there were art pieces

I left the gallery feeling disturbed, but in an enlightened way because you could tell that all the emotions that were poured out onto the canvases were real. Everything had a meaning; it was not just painted for the sake

As the play ended, I recollected on stories and instances I heard before, be it here in the UK, or America. Custody conveyed the poignancy of death and the cyclical nature of grief. Institutional racism and the aftermath were displayed

I felt connected to the play in multiple aspects. I felt more connected to the sister when she spoke up about Black Lives Matter.  A quote from this was “we have to fight against them!” I think the word them

This play moved me. From the emotive facial expressions to the impressive set. It was quite clear that it was well thought out, like the glowing red face silhouette which seemed to be very much in-your-face, which only further highlighted

Yesterday I went to the theatre to watch the play Custody that I found very cool. The first time that I entered the theatre, it was scary. The actors were just moving very slowly and acting almost like spirits. Yet,

In my opinion ‘Strange Fruit’ was a very engaging performance. I think this because all of the cast worked very well together and they presented the relationships between the characters very realistically. Another thing I liked was the theatre. I

The thing I liked the most about the ‘Strange Fruit’ (written by Caryl Phillips directed by Nancy Medina) was the storyline because it’s one of those things where, if you’ve seen it over and over again you’d never get bored

My name is Umar and I am writing this to inform you about my experience at the Royal Academy of Art. I was really intrigued because there were lots of different stuff that I was able to read about and

My name is Joel and I am 14 years of age. I first visited the art gallery on the 10th of February 2020, which was four days after my birthday. For me, going to the art gallery was like the

My experience at the Royal Academy was wonderful. All the artwork was amazing. The jelly fish exhibition was my favourite part because I feel at peace with them and it gave me information like that jelly fish are immortal. Also,

My name is Ishmail, but you can call me Ish. I’m thoroughly gonna explain my experiences in each gallery. First, I’m gonna point out the jellyfish simulation. It was educational and intrigued me because I learned jellyfish are immortal and

The best part of the exhibition was when we went to see the jellyfish, there was this room where they told us to close our eyes and when I opened them, I felt very surprised about seeing them. They looked

What I liked about the exhibition was when we went to a room and we saw some jellyfish on a glass, they looked very real. I learnt that jellyfish are immortal, they have a simple stomach which is divided in

As soon as I stepped into the room, I felt uncomfortable because we were the only children in The Bridge Theatre. As all the eyes came upon us, it made me feel as if I was some sort of monstrous

Personally, I think that the theatre at The Bridge is located in a nice area and the inside was also really nice and secured. The theatre made me feel a bit isolated since there were people that weren’t my age,

A NUMBER: Personally, I think that our seats were some of the best seats ever, as it made it possible for us to view the stage comfortably. I felt emotional; it was confusing at the beginning, then it became clear

In my opinion, the theatre was great, and this is because the actors were professionally trained and secondly the location was great place to be (Tower Bridge). The theatre was really well designed and well decorated, which makes it a

When I entered the room, I realised that the people that were going to watch the play were older and I started to feel a bit weird. When the characters started talking, I felt awkward because everyone was concentrating so

Was the service great? I would like to point out something before I explain and attribute my feelings towards this play. When me and my friend were waiting in the line, the security guard clearly saw us in the line,

My experience watching the play A Number was certainly interesting. The actors were funny, but I didn’t understand what was going on for quite a while. The theme of this play is very interesting, as cloning is something that I

In my opinion the Gallery was really good because there were things that I haven’t seen before. There were interesting things that really made my mind blow, especially the ones that really looked like a real picture. But I didn’t

It was an amazing experience to time looking around the amazing art works of David Hockney. I love art and it was marvelous to see his works, most of his works inspired me a lot and it was pleasant to

We went on a trip to the National Portrait Gallery on the 2nd of March 2020. We viewed David Hockney’s portrait work which was very beautiful. Personally, I think David Hockney is a very creative person and I like his

David Hockney’s work are brilliant because he used a different bright artwork. His drawings, paintings and photographs are very abstract and colourful. Some of his work is hard to understand but detailed. I’m so grateful to have an opportunity to

The exhibition of David Hockney’s work was amazing. The artwork was very detailed, and you could tell it took hours to do. When I came into the gallery, I was welcomed by the staff with open arms.

The smell of the waiting room smelt of alcohol and it made me feel a bit sick. It also made me realise that this specific play was maybe not meant for young teens. Some people who went to watch the

Nora: A Doll's House was really interesting because I could see the difference between the different years as it showed different acting from the three main characters [Nora in 1918, 1968, 2018]. Honestly there were a few inappropriate scenes with

Nora: A Doll's House was really interesting because I could see the difference between the different years as it showed different acting from the three main characters [Nora in 1918, 1968, 2018]. Honestly there were a few inappropriate scenes with

The welcome felt personal and very friendly as we got to meet Kwame Kwei-Armah who told us how theatre is ever-changing and rapidly becoming diverse. I enjoyed this as we got to have a more in-depth experience, we also found

I was given a lovely and warm welcome by the artistic director of the Young Vic, Kwame. He spoke to me in Arabic, something that made me feel at home. Kwame told me about his come to be so successful,

One warm evening our school organised a trip for the Critics' Club. In my opinion, the theatre was a cool place and busy and the people in charge of the place showed us love, especially Kwame and his partner. They

Firstly, the play was fundamentally important due to the fact it was International Women’s Day the day before we watched the play. Possibly they were celebrating it by putting women as the main actors… Back to the review, I thought

We got a special welcome, we were allowed into a special space to talk about our experiences and we met with Kwame Kwei-Armah who was the first black artistic director at The Young Vic. Personally, I think that the play