Congratulations to Island School for its courageous staging of the extracts from some of Steven Berkoff's definitive plays.
I for one had never experienced any of Berkoff's works before, but his plays illustrate his keen observation and insight into the thoughts and actions of domestic life in the different social classes in Britain.
The sixth-form students in Island School grasped the subject matter with a professionalism that outstripped their years. They were undaunted by the very basic language used in Berkoff's vocabulary and instinctively acted out the humour and insight of the human relationships they portrayed.
The performances were exciting, thrilling, shocking, electric, hilarious and difficult. Thank you all.
I have not had such an entertaining evening for a long time. It is just a pity that the evening was not open to a wider audience, in a bigger venue, so that there could have been a greater appreciation of the talent displayed by the students.
JOHN HASTINGS Mid-Levels
