The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

This year Gateacre School’s drama department took on the challenge of an adaptation of John Boyne’s famous novel The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.
It tells the story of Bruno and Shmuel, two boys who live on different sides of the fence in Nazi occupied Poland. It is a story that goes to the heart of the human condition, exposing the good and the bad, the innocent and the guilty.
The beauty and the horror of this story is that, in their youth, the boys are unaware of the brutal reality of who they are. It is a device that works well in a book. The difficulty is transferring the story to stage.
The students and staff involved in this project rehearsed from September, including weekends and the half term holiday. A huge commitment and perseverance by all those involved led to a challenging and thought provoking journey.