Iron Love to visits the stage
From 4 to 7 May 2005 a cast from St Andrew’s College and the Diocesan School for Girls performed Iron Love, an adaptation of Marguerite Poland’s powerful and moving novel. Directed and adapted by Ingrid Wylde the play was performed in the St Andrew’s College Drill Hall, which was especially relevant as it is the dance venue in the novel.
“This is a poignant, powerful story about coming of age and about love, death and memory. It is based around the short life of Charles Fraser, Grandson of the Missionary Taberer from St Matthew’s Mission. Charles was a boy at St Andrew’s College in 1913 and was killed during the First World War,” says Wylde.
The piece both celebrates the boy and the school and touches on the maturing and development of young people. Poland’s novel was published in 1999 and she was very honoured when she heard that the school was planning to adapt it into a play.
“The novel is 400 pages so I was very impressed with how Ingrid managed to extract the essence of the story into a play that is one hour in length. The book and I have a strong personal connection as Fraser is my grandfather’s cousin and all of them went to St Andrew’s College. Fraser’s story made me interested in the school and the process of boys becoming men and the kind of pressure that was put on them and the sacrifices expected of them in that time,” says Poland.
Poland was an honoured guest at the repeat performances in July during the St Andrew’s College Reunion Weekend.
“The play is about love in all its forms. Love of place, people, fraternal, paternal and maternal. It is about memory and death and the sense of continuance after death about how we will be continued to be loved and remembered. I have never directed a cast before who have such an understanding of moments in the text, in a way that I could not even access because of how they relate to the story and the place. It is a very moving piece and combined with the talent and sensitivity of the 13 member cast it is very inspiring project,” concludes Wylde.
Missing Helen8th May 2012
"Missing Helen" will be St Andrew's College and DSG's Dance 2012 Production. Updates on the preparation and production will be posted here.
Ireland Debating Tour4th May 2012
13 College Debaters participated in the St Andrew's Ireland Model United Nations competition in Dublin.
