The Scholars Playa 'DNA' was performed on Friday 13 June, Will Clarke (Lower 6 Performing Arts Scholar) shares his experience of performing in the show below. DNA follows a group of teenagers’ attempts to cover up the death of another pupil (Abi) at their school whom they peer pressured into doing increasingly dangerous dares, eventually leading to her accidental ‘death’. DNA deals with a completely different subject matter to any other play the school has done before and goes about it in a totally unique way. The first time I read the play, I was instantly compelled to read it again, and it was gripping all the way through. The small cast size meant that we were all close by the end of the process and it allowed everyone to get to know each other on a deeper level. We used physical theatre in some sections which was nerve-racking to practise but rewarding to execute: Sruthi (playing Abi) had to fall backwards off a stack of three wooden boxes into the arms of the rest of the cast – this was daunting at first, but the result was a stunning and impactful visual. This, and similar exercises, helped develop the trust between us and strengthened our bond. DNA was the shortest rehearsal process I have ever been a part of: we came to the first rehearsal knowing all our lines, just 6 days before the show. We had all been given the script over half term, allowing us to explore and develop our characters individually, before uniting our interpretations in rehearsals. We had two full days of rehearsals the weekend before the show, as well as two shorter rehearsals throughout the week and a day of tech and dress on show day. This limited number of rehearsals meant that they were intense and stressful, but this matched the frantic nature of the narrative and added to the visceral feel of our performances. Personally, I enjoyed being able to dedicate large amounts of time solely to DNA over the course of the week. I played the role of Phil, and he is, in my opinion, the most complex and unique character I have ever gotten to play. He is mostly silent, but when he speaks, he is confident and commanding. Phil eats a different food in almost every scene, which was definitely a positive of getting to play this role. It was interesting to try and work out why he rarely spoke and constantly ate, and how I could find a way to sympathise with him despite his immoral actions. Whilst on the surface he is cold and cruel, inside, he is sensitive and emotional as shown by his last two scenes of the play. In rehearsals, debate was sparked about whether we should feel sorry for him or not, and it was fascinating to gather everyone else’s opinions and perspectives. Reviews and comments from audience members have been overwhelmingly positive, which is amazing to hear, as, although we only had 5 official rehearsals, everyone in the cast and crew worked incredibly hard, and it is relieving to know that our work paid off.