Woodbridge School and Sixth Form
+44 (0)1394 615000
Woodbridge School Prep
+44 (0)1394 382673
Home > News and Events > Meet Siobhan and Rev Peters from ‘The Curiou...

Meet Siobhan and Rev Peters from ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time’

30 Jan 25

Earlier this week we joined students rehearsing for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, ahead of performances taking place in our Seckford Theatre on Wednesday 12 and Thursday 13 February. With the show just over three weeks away at the time of writing this, it was great to see how things were progressing.

Mr Williams, Assistant Head of Drama, was taking students through a particular scene, one during which we see our main character Christopher in the classroom at school. Lead by an enthusiastic teacher, Year 11’s Eloise who plays Siobhan, and with Year 11’s Patrick who plays Rev Peters, the school’s churchman, we joined students as they talked through their lines, acting and physical movement on stage.

Siobhan is trying to talk Christopher into sharing his book with the class so they can make a play of it; the book in which he writes all his thoughts and investigative information (in relation to who may have killed the dog in the neighbour’s garden). Christopher is reluctant to say the least. The scene moves on and we meet Rev Peters who is somewhat of a comedic character enthusiastically attempting to encourage Christopher to share his writing. Sure to encourage a few rumbles of laughter from the audience, Rev Peters is quite a character, light and silly, and eager to please and make people happy.

But creating comedy, funny moments, is something that requires work and planning on behalf of all of the actors on stage at the time, and that was part of the focus of today’s rehearsal.

Mr Williams spoke to the students about what is said in the silence in scenes, when characters do not answer questions, when they don’t offer a reply – and what that suggests to the audience – and how it can suggest humour and allow time for an audience to react, to laugh hopefully. He also spoke about the importance of allowing those moments the space they need on stage, and about avoiding the urge to jump into silence as we might naturally do so in real life.

He also discussed the chorus of the production being on stage at the beginning of this scene, with scene transitions in mind – and spent time explaining to the students where they will need to be physically by the time their scene begins, and how the lighting will aid that transition. Mr Williams shared,

“At this point in rehearsals, when we don’t have the stage set built and we’re not yet working with props or furniture, we have to imagine everything.” He continued, “Remembering what will be on stage, what sounds will be playing and what lighting effects will be being used is vital – it’s a huge part of rehearsing.”

After the rehearsal we had the chance to speak to Eloise about her character Siobhan, she shared,

“Siobhan is Christopher’s teacher, he talks to her about his problems and she’s actually read the note book that she’s trying to persuade him to share so that the class can perform a play based on it. She’s a special educational needs teacher, trained to teach and support neurodiverse children like Christopher, so I’ve spent a lot of time researching her role and thinking about how to play this part.”

She also shared,

“It’s a lot of responsibility I realise, to play this character, someone, a person, a role within a school, that people will perhaps recognise or relate to – so it’s important I play her right. Miss Mayes and my mum, who is a therapist, have helped enormously, working to help me personify someone that Christopher can trust, and a character that I can manage on stage.”

Talking about the upcoming performances she said,

“I can’t wait to perform – mostly because the best thing about being involved in productions is the community you get to work with – the cast. There’s such camaraderie, especially on show nights, it’s brilliant to be a part of it.”

Speaking about the challenges she faces she shared,

“My biggest issue is volume – I’m playing quite a gentle person, who has a soft approach to Christopher in order to nurture and encourage him, I need to be able to be that way but also make sure the whole audience hears every word! I’m working with Miss Mayes to improve that.”

Meeting Patrick who plays Rev Peters, the Churchman at school, we spoke about the Reverend’s role in Christopher’s life. He said,

“Rev Peters teaches Christopher, and invigilates his A level exams, he likes him, but mostly he’s intrigued by him.”

Talking about the challenges of playing the Reverend he shared,

“I’ve taken time to think about and consider the characteristics of a man of God, ordinarily a Reverend is a nice person, someone you can approach, trust, rely on and confide in – so I want to make sure that all comes across in the production – that the audience recognises that.”

He continued,

“The best part about this character though is that he is responsible for much of the comedy when on stage, it’s almost like a little relief because the play deals with such serious topics, thoughts and feelings.”

Talking about what he feels is the greatest challenge for him, Patrick also shared,

“I think it’s going to be the nerves on performance nights.”

He continued,

“The transitions are challenging too, it has to be seamless, so we’re all working hard to make sure they go smoothly.”

Despite the nerves though, Patrick is really looking forward to performing, and said,

“I love being part of this team, as Eloise said, it’s such a great community – that feeling we all get in the interval, when the show is half way through, the nerves have gone, and you’re just feeling happy and enjoying performing – that’s what I’m looking forward to most!”

You can look forward to seeing both Eloise and Patrick on stage, alongside their fellow students, on Wednesday 12 and Thursday 13 February, when performances of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is performed in our Seckford Theatre.

At the time of writing this, a few seats remained, so do visit Woodbridge School Drama event tickets from TicketSource to book yours now!

Share
Share
View latest news
View upcoming events
Updated on a regular basis, our events calendar is the central reference for all upcoming fixtures, performances and other notable dates for your diary.
Visit us

Want to book a visit or make an enquiry? Please get in touch.

Hear from us

Woodbridgian Weekly

    Sign up to receive the latest news and events in the Woodbridgian Weekly










    Fields marked with * are required
    Follow us