The 2025 Chronicle

• A beautifully controlled and thoughtful interpretation of Beckett’s absurdist world. Their timing, silence work, and emotional restraint were excellent. Monologue: Cocaine Addict • Ben Cheales • Ben delivered a raw, unsettling portrayal, balancing volatili ty with vulnerability in a standout performance. • A courageous and sensitive handling of challenging material, marked by Oliver’s nuance and expressive re straint. Scene: Dark Night • Ben Cheales and Luke Davidson • Tense, tight and compelling – this pair demonstrated su perb chemistry and emotional control. Scene: Pillowman – Martin McDonagh • Kian Moses and Oliver Mostert • Kian and Oliver captured the dark humour and sinister un dertones of McDonagh’s writing with impressive skill. Monologue: Johnny Boskak is Feeling Funny • Seth Segal • A confident performance rich in tonal variation, energy and emotional truth. Open Piece: Pink Tights and Plenty of Props • Kian Moses and Oliver Mostert • Inventive, expressive and rhythmically sharp – a delightful display of physical theatre. Monologue: Planet of the Apes – Bruno Littlemore • Damian Watson • Damian showcased exceptional psychological depth and control in this challenging monologue. Monologue: The Blue Period of Milton van der Spuy • Kian Moses • A reflective, textured performance delivered with emotional intelligence. Monologue: The Vikings • Luke Davidson • Engaging, charismatic and well-paced – Luke’s storytelling ability shone. Open Piece: from Ren • Damian Watson and Seth Segal • A powerful, synchronised open piece marked by expressive movement and strong communication. Open Piece: Movement • Ben Cheales and Luke Davidson • A visually striking piece of physical theatre, showcasing trust, spatial awareness and discipline. Monologue: The Rapist – Button Poetry • Oliver Mostert

resistance movements to bold performances tackling chal lenging contemporary themes, this year’s cohort built on the achievements of 2024 to embody what it means to use the atre as both an artform and a lens through which to under stand the world.

A CURRICULUM ROOTED IN SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS

Michaelhouse Drama pupils engage deeply with plays that chal lenge, provoke and reflect the evolution of human rights and social justice. Works such as Bent by Martin Sherman, Nothing but the Truth by John Kani and The Island by Athol Fugard help boys interrogate systems of oppression while developing emo tional empathy and intellectual sensitivity. In matric, this exploration broadens into more complex polit ical and philosophical worlds through texts such as Angels in America, Ubu and the Truth Commission and Sophiatown . These plays demand critical thinking, emotional accessibility and rigorous textual analysis – all of which were demonstrated abundantly in this year’s final practical examinations. A YEAR ALIVE WITH PERFORMANCE Beyond the classroom, the boys immersed themselves in South Africa’s vibrant theatre culture, attending numerous productions, including a memorable outing to the Hilton Arts Festival, where they experienced professional theatre of ex ceptional quality. Within the school, Drama pupils shone in annual community events. Their performances at Grandparents Day were warm, polished and deeply appreciated. Productions such as Jesus Christ Superstar and Noises Off , directed by theatre director and drama teacher William le Cordeur, highlighted their ver satility – from musical theatre to high comedy and technical farce. But the highlight of the year was undoubtedly the matric prac tical examination showcase – the culmination of years of train ing, rehearsal, reading and reflection. The matric practical examination is a demanding assessment requiring monologues, scenes and open pieces across differ ent genres, styles and emotional registers. This year, the external matric Drama practical examiner was highly impressed, commenting on the boys’ maturity, their tech nical preparedness, and their deep understanding of complex material. She noted that the standard of performance was among the strongest she had seen, and praised the clarity, emotional honesty and confidence with which the boys ap proached their work. Below is a detailed overview of the matric performances across the three performance programmes. EXCEPTIONAL MATRIC PERFORMANCES A YEAR TO REMEMBER

END GAME Scene: Endgame – Samuel Beckett • Seth Segal and Damian Watson

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