Junior Play - Kes

Congratulations to the cast and crew of ‘Kes’: the story of 15-year-old Billy Casper, his struggles with bullying and a difficult home environment, and ultimately his desire to transcend the mundane frustrations of his life. The play is so named because of a poem found in the Boke of St Albans. In medieval England, the only bird a “knave” was legally allowed to keep was a kestrel, and Billy is a modern-day knave.

Taylors’ powerful and evocative production of the play ran from 14th-16th May and received great support from staff, parents, and students. Friday’s performance was wonderfully charged with the frustrated aggression that bubbles beneath the surface of the text that it was, at times, a little scary. This aggression and tension was, however, tempered by delicate moments of tenderness and fleeting hope so necessary for the play to be appreciated at its heart-breaking best.

Huge credit should go to Mr. Garnett and Mrs. Cox for achieving this fine balance, but also to the young actors Rowan Clarke (Jud) and William Berrecloth (Billy) for their powerful, committed performances. Whilst the entire (and sizable) cast were excellent in supporting and driving the action of the play, special mentions go to Harrison Rob and Ishy Levy. Harrison was excellent and believable as the distracted, intermittently warm, and ultimately neglectful mother of Billy, whilst Ishy’s turn at a librarian was wonderfully funny, brilliantly pedantic, and strangely believable. Dylan Bull’s incisive rendering of the vain, aggressive, yet comical PE teacher also deserves singling out; his transformation was startling and unsettling.

As always, final thanks should go to Glenda Curtis for running the props department (and marshalling the boys) and to Savio Gimmi for realising Mr. Garnett’s imaginative and character-driven concept for the set.

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