MACY-JANE HEWITT REPORTS ON THE GATHER22 CLOISTERS PLAY: MACBETH

July 11, 2022

A cast of talented Senior School pupils performed in this year’s Cloister Play, a dark and gripping adaptation of Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’. Set in a war-torn state, the Macbeths are ruthless in their fight for survival and will stop at nothing to succeed. L6 pupil Macy-Jane Hewitt reports:

 

“With the recent political turmoil overseas. I believed now to be a fitting time for the narrative of Macbeth to be re-visited. Set within a military camp, my adaptation focused on the obsessive and power-hungry Macbeths who would stop at nothing in their destructive rise to power. It was a powerful production and one that challenged the lack of female roles in the original Shakespearean text and offered a relevant spin to the timeless story. I am so proud of the whole cast for what they have achieved.” - Miss Cary, Director of the Senior Play 2022.



On Sunday 3 and Monday 4 July this year’s senior play ‘Macbeth’ was performed by a cast of outstanding senior school pupils in the Norwich Cathedral Cloisters. The use of the already haunting Cloisters for sound effects and 360-degree staging made the performance of one of Shakespeare's most famous revenge tragedies chilling, thrilling and extremely unsettling. 


Miss Cary’s adaptation of this Early Modern classic transported the audience into the front line and the 21st century. It made each individual member of the audience not only question the brutality of war, especially in today’s climate, but dig below surface level to contemplate the cause of the ‘strange infirmity’ which riddled the Macbeths. Whether you believe in witchcraft and magic like an Early Modern audience or think the effects of psychological disorders such as shell shock lead to the character’s demise, this production left everyone questioning and wanting more. 


The reversal of gender roles in this adaptation cannot be ignored. Abi Mansley, who played Macbeth, had the challenge of executing one of literature’s most famous tragic heroes. She conveys that “The most exciting part of playing Macbeth was exploring the absolute mental deterioration he goes through”. If Abi could have played another character she would “love to be a witch because they are so iconic and they have such an overwhelming presence in the play”.


The Witches, played by Ewan Brett, Marcus O’Sullivan and Oscar Taylor put on an intense performance. Like apparitions, they made their way through the audience echoing lines in perfect unison. They were the only characters to use microphones which gave them an ominous and omnipotent tone. 


As well as gender reversal, many members of the cast, such as Bibi Boyce who played Fleance, Captain and Doctor, had the exciting opportunity to multi-role adding further layers to the play. 


Bibi explained that “playing multiple characters is really interesting. It means that I get to play lots of different aspects of the play. Even though Fleance is one of the smaller characters his symbolism is extremely important. I also got to play Captain and the Doctor which are more serious roles as I announce that the queen is dead”.


Emily White, who played Lady Macbeth, was a standout performer. Her ability to convey emotion to the audience and interact with her surroundings caused an immersive spell to be cast over the crowd. A highlight of the performance was when the resident peregrine falcons or ‘The raven himself’ as if by cue started shrieking. Emily took this in her stride and weaved it into her soliloquy perfectly. 


I had the chance to interview cast members Bibi Boyce, Olivia Elverson and Ewan Brett before the evening show on Monday and here’s what they had to say: 

 

What inspired you to audition for this year’s senior play?  

EB ‘I like Shakespeare, and I like Macbeth. I’ve always wanted to do Macbeth in the Cloisters. It sounded really cool and the experience has been amazing.’ 


BB ‘I’ve always liked acting but I don’t like singing or dancing. I really wanted to get involved with more acting in school. I’ve never done anything as serious as Shakespeare before and I really wanted to get involved. When I found out it was Macbeth I was really excited. 


OE ‘I love the Cathedral. It’s a very beautiful setting. I also studied Macbeth at GCSE so I thought I might give it a go. I used to do drama at my old school and I wanted to give it a go at Norwich School.’

 

How do you feel about this take on one of Shakespeare’s classics?  

EB ‘I think it’s a great take. Bringing this play into modern times makes it more relevant, contemporary, and the adaptation of some of the words makes it more accessible particularly to younger audiences like we had in the matinee.’ 

BB ‘At first, I was a bit hesitant as I didn’t know how it was going to work. Now we’re all in military gear I think that it’s a really interesting take and I really enjoy it. 


OE ‘I like it. There’s female unity which is lovely. I also like the modern spin and combat costumes. We also haven’t changed much of the script so there’s a juxtaposition between the Shakespearian language and the modern theme.’ 

 

What was challenging about bringing this version to life?  

EB ‘This version is relatively similar in a literary sense, however, all the props were modern. We got to use guns and adapted sound effects such as artillery explosions and gun fire in a lot of the scenes. This makes it feel a lot more realistic and hard hitting.’ 


BB ‘When all the artillery and gunfire goes off you can’t hear your cue!’ 

OE ‘When we first rehearsed, we were in Blake Studio and I was nervous about bringing it to the Cloisters.’ 

 

Is there a lasting message you want members of the audience to take home?  

EB ‘Shakespeare’s brilliant. Do a play in the Cloisters if you have the chance.’ 

BB ‘Abi Mansley, who plays Macbeth and Emily White, who plays Lady Macbeth are brilliant.’ 

OE ‘Shakespeare's plays can be adapted so many different ways. There’s no one strict format.’ 

 

What would you say to younger pupils who are thinking about taking part in theatre at Norwich School?  

EB ‘Do it. It doesn’t matter if you’re nervous. Really, it’s kind of the point. It’s an amazing feeling once you’re finished and it’s good fun.’ 


BB ‘I’m new this year and at my old school there were a couple of opportunities to do things but I'd say that there’s a lot more at Norwich School. I feel that the level of production is higher as I've never done anything as good as ‘Macbeth’ has been. I’d definitely encourage people who are new to the school or younger in the school to get involved in the Cloisters’ play because I loved it. 


OE ‘Definitely do it. It’s really good fun. It’s a uniting experience as you get to know people in other year groups. The celebratory teas are also really good!’ 

 

How has the location of the cloisters changed your performance or has it?  

EB ‘This necessarily isn’t the way you have to do it in the Cloisters but we decided to do it in the round which means you’re constantly surrounded by the audience. This means you have to make sure you’re acting to all sides of the audience. We also use the space around the green for other scenes such as the marching scenes. This adds more atmosphere as the audience feels surrounded. The space is great and the echos created due to the sound effects are really atmospheric.’ 


BB ‘It reminds me to turn around and puts me more into character as the audience is everywhere. This makes me really think about staying in character when I'm turning and stumbling. There isn't a backstage which I find more enjoyable because we are immersed with the audience. The Cloisters also made the performance much more dramatic with the Cathedral in the background. In some scenes, I stare up to the Cathedral and in one performance the sky was grey and it started to rain. I hope this enhances the scenes and drama.   

OE ‘The open space is amazing and it prompted me to project my voice.’ 

 

 

Congratulations to the cast: Abi Mansley, Emily White, Poppy Woodruff, Ruby McDowell, Marni Hill, Bibi Boyce, Abi Flatt, Will Clarke, Elfie Anema-Galpin, Gracie Brand, Olivia Elverson, Ewan Brett, Marcus O’Sullivan and Oscar Taylor. 

A huge thank you and congratulations to Miss Cary for directing this adaptation. 


By Eleanor Lewis July 14, 2025
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By Eleanor Lewis July 4, 2025
It is great for the school to get to this point, the final assembly of the 24/25 year and a joy to share it with the parents of our Upper Sixth cohort who leave today. It is a personal privilege to have the chance to offer some reflections at a time which is laced with resonance for so many. Such occasions bring experiences and memories into enhanced focus. This has been much on my mind since the announcement a few weeks ago that the world’s most powerful digital camera has started producing its first images as part of a 10 year project to survey space and time. Situated at the Vera C Rubin observatory in the Chilean Andes to minimise light pollution, the camera is 1.65m by 3m, weighs 2,800kg and has three mirrors which are between 3.4m and 8.4m in diameter. It is hard to relate to these dimensions, so try this: it has 3,200 megapixels, making it 67 times more powerful than the camera of an iPhone 16 Pro; its resolution allows it to capture a golf ball on the moon and its detail is such that one would need 400 Ultra HD TV screens to display a single image. More relevantly for the project, its first image shows gas and dust clouds swirling 9,000 light years from earth. We may not have this precision in our own phones, but our senses and memories have an uncanny ability of capturing moments of particular significance; people even report time seeming to slow down at important moments. There is much for the senses to feast on in this last Cathedral service of the year so take moments during the service to take in and savour your surroundings: the sun streaming in from the South-West to light up swirling dust motes and the colours of the stained-glass windows; the gorgeous sounds from the Choir and congregation; the distinctive smell of this ancient building; and the cool touch of its aged stones. Just don’t lick anything please – 4th Form, that is the one sense we are not going to be trying out. We could not have this sensitivity to the world around us all the time; we would never get anything done. However, it pays to zoom in from time to time and the Cathedral provides just such a chance. As I reflect on recent weeks, my internal camera can pick out many images which have stuck with me: Bandfest, with 14 electric guitars all playing at once; The extraordinary detail in the jewellery films from the Fashion Show or the exquisite sketchbooks of our U6 in the Art and Design Exhibition; Redmayne packed with junior and intermediate cricketers or Lower Close packed with athletes in a vivid kaleidoscope of house colours; My favourite moment, not for the first time, came at the end of June from Discover Your Ability Day which the school hosts for the charity, Able2B. Frankly, if you were there and had spent time building your athlete partnership, you will know why this often wins my round-up and may well have your own special memory. For me, it was not the moment when the athlete pairs cross the line, heart-melting though that is, it was the hug that a girl with impaired physical mobility shared with her Norwich School pupil partner away from the finish line when the spectators’ gaze had moved on. A simple treasure. Yet a service like this allows us to do something else in common with the Vera C Rubin camera. That telescope deals with such vast distances that the light is from a different era. Our time-travel is rather different but no less potent. Today represents for all of us a significant punctuation mark, the end of the academic year. It is particularly so for our Upper Sixth because it is the end of their time at Norwich School. It will not be long before they process out of the West Doors to our applause as they leave to take up their places in the wider world. There should be some looking back, hopefully with enjoyment, certainly some pride, perhaps a dose of embarrassment at a dodgy 5th Form haircut or questionable dance moves at someone’s 18th. Yet I should also like you to try to consider what still lies ahead. In her talk to the Norfolk Cambridge Society this term Professor Gillian Tett, the Provost of King’s College Cambridge, referred to Steve Jobs’ famous 2005 Stanford Commencement Speech where he said that you cannot join dots forwards, only backwards. His advice to the students was to keep making dots and I advocate the same now. By way of example, I should like to return to someone I mentioned to the school at this morning’s assembly, our retiring Vice-Chair of governors, Stephen Bamber. He shared something of his life-journey when he gave out the prizes to the Lower School this term. A classicist by training, he secured a place as a Civil Servant at the Foreign Office but was told to gain some life experience before taking up his place. He decided to join the army and became a Platoon Commander, taking in tours of duty in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. By the time he finished his military commission, he returned not to the Foreign Office but was drawn to medicine, so back to learning he went before becoming a GP for some 30 years. His route to Norwich School governorship came through his own children’s time here as pupils. Looking backwards, one can see exactly how the range of experience has made Stephen such a wise and valuable governor, but if our Head of Careers, Mrs James, were to predict such a career for any of our current U6th I suspect there would be bewilderment; Stephen’s life can hardly be described as following a plan. You can only join the dots up looking backwards, so as you make your way through life, particularly while you are of school age or an 18 year-old about to leave, just keep making dots. And what dots should one make? Again, as a classicist who retrained in medicine, I think Stephen’s life story is instructive: he has always been curious to learn more and has not been afraid of putting his mind to different areas of study. This brings to mind the delightful story of the cellist, Pablo Casals. He practised every day, even after retirement. When asked why, he replied “because I think I’m making progress”. His age at the time? He was 90. Upper Sixth, take a moment to look backwards and join the dots of your school career, the moments which have moulded you into the fine young men and women I see in front of me: your A Level subject choices, your role in that play, your part in that school team, the time you first met your best friend. But remember how many dots there still are to make. Keep doing so, even if you are not sure how they will join up. That will be for another moment of focus. As you get ready to leave, please know that we have loved your presence in our community. You have been a strong sporting year-group and you have given us countless creative triumphs. You have also helped the wider community and been a close-knit support group for each other. If we have got it right, we have not been a hothouse for you but we have been a greenhouse, nurturing you as sensitive plants to develop healthily through setting the right overall conditions for your overall growth. Go out in the world with a lifelong love of learning to be forces for good in the wider community. And do stay in touch from time to time to let us know what you find. You leave with best wishes from us all.
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