A murder, a dramatic arrest, a series of surprising plot twists: it’s all part and parcel of Year 11’s latest theatrical offering at Newington.

Senior students undertaking Drama as a Co-Curricular activity at the College have the option each year to participate in a completely student-directed performance. This year, it is Witness for the Prosecution that they were tasked with envisioning and bringing to life over two thrilling nights in the Duckmanton Drama Theatre at our Stanmore Senior campus, from this 20 June Friday, in association with students from MLC School and PLC Sydney.

A compelling courtroom drama, penned by crime fiction aficionado Agatha Christie, the play follows Leonard Vole, who is accused of murdering a wealthy widow to inherit her fortune. However, his case takes quite a few unexpected turns when his wife Romaine provides her startling testimony.

According to student directors Benjamin M and Miles J, and stage manager Dylan H, the play’s intricate twists and surprising revelations make it a particularly juicy piece of theatre for them to sink their teeth into.

‘I really like all the tension in the play,’ says Miles.

‘It is so interesting to see the characters interacting in certain ways and the relationships they have with each other. The way the plot in Witness for the Prosecution is set up really appeals to me as well.’

‘We can promise some great drama on the night,’ agrees Dylan.

This year, Year 11 dramatists took a unique approach in terms of seating arrangements in the theatre, implementing a thrust stage, a stage that extends into the auditorium with the audience seated around three sides, to maximise engagement.

‘We didn’t want to divide the audience from the show. We want it to be an immersive experience where they feel like they’re a part of the action,’ Miles explains.

‘The aim is to get the audience to really think about the things going on in the play and start to make their own judgements about certain characters.’

Benjamin adds, ‘The seating configuration will be completely different to any other kind of production you’ve seen before at Newington, and it will also be interesting for us see if it works the way we intended!’

Benjamin also notes that typically, student-directed plays tend to have smaller casts of around six actors, but Witness for the Prosecution has a whopping 16 cast members.

‘That’s probably been the biggest challenge so far, just the sheer number of people we are organising,’ he says.

‘But all the students have been excellent to work with, it’s just been a matter of trying to remember which information we have shared with whom!’ says Miles.

Year 11 has been working on the play since the beginning of Term 2, with Benjamin, Miles and Dylan responsible for organising costumes, planning sound and lighting, figuring out scheduling and set design, and booking meetings with their fellow cast and crew members, in addition to leading regular rehearsals.

And with the big event now just days away, these students are thoroughly looking forward to the culmination of all their hard work.

‘A lot of our friends and family are coming to watch, so we’re really looking forward to being able to show them what we’ve done,’ Benjamin says.

‘We’ll finally get to enjoy the end result ourselves, too!’

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Witness for the Prosecution will be on this Friday 20 and Saturday 21 June at 7.00pm in the Duckmanton Drama Theatre. Tickets are almost sold out, so hurry to secure your spot.

For more information about Newington’s creative and performing arts program, you can learn more on our website here.