A glimpse into the life of a Woodbrook College Student

Throughout the year our TYs studied two plays during their drama module and then chose one to put on for the school. They picked The Shadow of a Gunman over The Importance of Being Earnest and so the auditions began. The lads worked so hard over the coming months. They came in during work experience for extra rehearsal as well as catching up on work from other classes that they missed because of rehearsal. Between trying to learn lines, costume malfunctions, accents and lots of laughs they finally made it to the stage. Two fantastic performances made it all worth it. Our main characters Evan and Daniel did an unbelievable job as roommates Donal Davoren and Seamus Shields. The standard of acting was second to none and a lot of hard work was put in. The musical talent of Paul Megna as Tommy Owens made the audience erupt with laughter. Maguire played by DJ made a short but lasting appearance when he left a bag of bombs with Seamus. Daniel Soco our landlord brought the drama to Act 1 trying to get rent out of Seamus Shields. More comedy ensued with the unlikely friendship duo Leslin and Daragh as Mrs. Henderson and Mr. Gallagher as they attempted to befriend Davoren. Danben stole the show as Minnie Powell who was desperate for Davoren to be a gunman. A natural talent and always the professional. Our married couple Adolphus and Mrs. Grigson played by Adam Seong and Adam Bushe were definitely one of the highlights of the show. The Auxiliary made an impression at the end with appearances from Conor and Ethan who overturned the set. A big mention to Carlos and Thomas our understudies and to all of the TYs who helped out with the set. All of the pupils worked so hard during the last few months and really put everything into the play. It was a huge achievement and one that will be remembered. A true credit to Sean O’Casey.

Our TY students are invited to take part in a trip to a European country each year to build on the learning that has taken place and the friendship/community bonds that get stronger as the year goes on. This year our students chose Spain and the beautiful city of Barcelona to explore Roman ruins, local cuisine, science galleries, cycle the streets, an incredible gravity-defying theme park and to find themselves on a leg of a Camino as they hiked to Montserrat in the hills above the ancient city. The group had an amazing time and we hope the experience lives with them for many years to come.