April News From Saint Kentigern College

Aucklanders will all be aware of the new Pop-Up theatre constructed on Greys Ave in the central city. The Pop-Up Globe is the first full-scale working replica of the second Globe Theatre that was built in 1614 and closed in 1642. Shakespeare’s Globe, which opened in London in 1997, is a replica of the original Globe Theatre, built in 1599 and destroyed by fire in 1613. Made from scaffolding and plywood, the Pop-Up Globe is a three-storey, 16-sided polygon with a double gable roof. There is capacity for 900 people, 300 of which are ‘groundlings’ who stand in the ‘yard’ in front of the stage. The rest of the audience are seated 360 degrees around the action.

Recently the Year 7 and 8 students from the Girls’ School were given a first-hand taste of how Elizabethan theatre was performed on the South Bank in London in the 17th century with an acting workshop at the Pop-Up Globe. The girls have been studying Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night’ in their English and drama classes and lessons have been focussing on the play’s theme of disguise and how this can have comedic and tragic consequences. The workshop started with the tutors giving a detailed explanation of the Globe’s layout, and how this would have impacted on the performances. The girls then got to put this knowledge into action as they took to the stage. From this world-first experience the girls came away with a greater understanding of the characters and plot of ‘Twelfth Night’ and a huge amount of confidence to put into their drama performances.

The Saint Kentigern Boys’ 1st XI Cricket team has are the new one day cricket champions, having regained the RH Marryatt Cup following a comfortable victory over Auckland Grammar. The final was played at Melville Park in great conditions, with both sides wearing black armbands to mark the passing of New Zealand cricket legend, Martin Crowe. Auckland Grammar batted first and was quickly in trouble, with Simon Keene removing one of their openers in the first over. Simon took another wicket in his second over to have Auckland Grammar struggling at 17/2 in the third and eventually reached 141 all out in the 48th over.

In reply, Sandeep Patel and Conor Ansell got off to a solid start with an opening partnership of 76 before Sandeep was out for 44. Finn Allen romped to 47 from 40 balls including four fours and two sixes. Simon Keene hit the winning runs with a boundary as his first scoring shot in Saint Kentigern’s total of 143/4 in the 34th over. Congratulations to the team and we wish them success in booking a place in the Gillette Cup.

For more information on Saint Kentigern College please go to http://www.saintkentigern.com