Macaulay Award 2018 - Music and Drama Tour of the Czech Republic by Lacey Fearon
Macaulay Award 2018 - Music and Drama Tour of the Czech Republic by Lacey Fearon
On Tuesday 4th April 2019, in the early hours of the morning we set off to Heathrow airport, before getting on a short flight to Prague in the Czech Republic for our Music and Drama Tour. When we arrived in Prague, we met our tour guide, Marketta, before travelling by coach to our hotel. After we got settled in and had a short rehearsal, we walked to the longest river in Prague, the Vltava River, for dinner. During this river cruise we were able to enjoy the beautiful scenery and architecture of Prague; this evening being a wonderful start to our trip.
The second day gave us a chance to properly explore Prague. We got a coach to Prague Castle which we would later visit and met our second tour guide, Barbara, before we began our walking tour. We visited a variety of places including the Wallenstein Palace, which we learnt had a large section that was built just for horses and had a different section with owls. We also went to the John Lennon Wall and the Charles Bridge. This bridge was the first connection between Prague Castle and the city’s Old Town, therefore became a historic and important part of Prague. I was specifically excited visiting the Charles Bridge because I knew that it had recently been used in the upcoming Spiderman movie and as a Marvel fan, felt I had to visit it. After visiting it I will remember it for more than its links to the Marvel Universe. I will remember it because of the incredible architecture with Baroque statues placed on the balustrade and the history it has. During our independent lunch we discovered Trdelník, known as ‘Chimney’s’, in English, which are a type of pastry that quickly became our favourite treat in Prague.
We then had a puppet making workshop at the National Marionette Theatre. We saw large professional puppets that are used in performances and learnt about them, including the different types of puppets and how to use them. We were then able to make our own smaller puppets. There was a range of characters, including village boys and wizards. During this workshop we learnt not only how to put the puppet together, but also how to fit the clothes on them and how to attach the strings so that it moves correctly. We were then left to test out and develop our skills as puppeteers. Later on in the evening we returned to the theatre to watch a performance of Mozart’s ‘Don Giovanni’ opera, with all of the characters being puppets and even with a puppet Mozart conducting for parts of it. This performance had many comedic elements including Mozart falling asleep in parts, this possibly being the theatre mocking those that don’t appreciate opera. This performance allowed me to gain an insight into Prague’s history of puppetry whilst also watching a classical opera, something I have to study for Music A-Level.
On Saturday, it was the day of our concert. In the morning we got a tram and Funicular Railway up Petřín Hill, before some of us walked up Petřín Lookout Tower. With the tower being 63.5 metres tall, this was a lot of stairs, but was worth it when we got to the top and were able to look out over Prague. After lunch we walked to the Wall Church in St Martin before having a short rehearsal before the concert. Our concert consisted of multiple duologues from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, and many musical pieces by English composers including ‘Psalm 23: The Lord is my Shephard’, by Howard Goodall. I had a solo and sung ‘All That Matters’ from the musical Finding Neverland. Overall the concert was very successful and was enjoyed greatly by our Czech audience. We also discovered that our concert was a fundraiser event as the money from it went towards a charity. In the evening we attended a Black Light Theatre performance, which is typically a theatrical performance that uses black box theatre augmented by UV lights to create an illusion. Whilst normally performers use their bodies to create different shapes and enhance the set, this was not the case for the performance we saw. Whilst we did not all enjoy this performance due to the large contrast between our culture’s humour, it made us aware of the cultural difference and was still a learning curve for all of us and made us appreciate the amazing theatre we have in London. This performance also made me more eager to see more traditional Black Light Theatre in the future.
Sunday 7th April was our final full day in Prague. We walked to Chocotopia: Wax Museum of Legends in which we learnt about the history of chocolate as we walked through an exhibition with wax figures. At the end of this exhibition there was a wax figure of Mozart playing the harpsichord, and the musician in me could not miss this photo opportunity. We then took part in a chocolate making workshop in which we saw how the chocolates are made and were also able to make our own delicious Belgian chocolate bars. We then took a coach to Prague Castle, in which on our tour guide, Barbara, told us about the history of Prague, including about the St Vitus Cathedral, which was first built in 1344, but some parts were renovated in 1844. That evening we had our final and most memorable dinner. We went to the Resturance U Marčanů, which was a traditional folklore restaurant. Whilst this was the meal I was most nervous about, the traditional Czech food was my favourite from the whole trip. The entertainment during the evening was what made the trip unforgettable. It began with folk and gipsy songs and dances, followed by performances on folk instruments including a Hammer-Dulcimer and Fujara, also known as a Shepherds-Whistle. During the entertainment there were some interactive pieces that got us up singing, dancing and laughing for the rest of the night. To finish, our Blackheath High choir was invited to sing, and whilst this was unexpected, our impromptu performance of ‘Danny Boy’ was our most enjoyable performance of the trip, reminding all of us of our love for music. The night finished with us listening to famous compositions of classical music, by composers including Brahms and Mozart, whose music was inspired by folk music.
Looking back on this trip, I know it was the greatest way for me to end my time at Blackheath High, whilst also allowing me to develop both personally and also in an educational sense. Through the Macaulay Award I was able to attend a trip that taught me about the history of another country, allowed me to watch an opera with a unique twist, and allowed me to discover folk instruments as I listened to both folk and classical music. After an incredible trip like this, I know Prague is somewhere I definitely want to visit again.
