AN47

www.abingdon.org.uk 3 This has been a particularly rich term for drama. The three senior productions with St Helen’s offered great variety. Two were based on film-scripts and the third a much-loved musical - and all reflected a real spirit of ambition. In each of the productions I enjoyed the intensity with which cast and crew took on the challenge and the superb results that followed. These encompassed the poignancy of the two-hander Before Sunrise , the experimentation of A Matter of Life and Death , and the choreography and verve of Fiddler on the Roof . Drama offers extraordinary opportunities for personal development. The ability to work with your fellow cast members who are relying upon you, the requirement for creativity in preparing a piece or understanding a role, the confidence required to command the gaze of an audience, the commitment to inhabit a character fully, the skill to initiate sound and lighting changes, the camaraderie that comes with pushing a challenging project through to its conclusion; the theatre offers all these while allowing performers and crew alike to create memories that will stay with them for good. The senior productions have all been significant events in the life of the School this term but of course they reflect just one strand in our busy lives together, which you will be able to read about in these pages. We are fortunate to have such a committed and enthusiastic staff who make all these achievements possible as well as pupils who are always up for the challenge. There’s also information in this publication about the latest Annual Fund, which seeks to support projects going beyond our day-to-day offering; I hope you enjoy reading about the proposed projects and the activities and events of the Lent term. Michael Windsor, Headmaster A Matter of Life and Death - Senior Production with St Helen and St Katharine Drama is an important part of life at Abingdon. Abingdon News