Pupils at King's former school perform Shakespeare at home where he stayed

Western Telegraph

6 days ago

More than 200 people from the Moray area enjoyed two outside performances of The Tempest by Gordonstoun students at Innes House this week.
The late Queen and the late Prince Philip used to stay at the property when they visited the then Prince Charles and his brothers the princes Andrew and Edward, while they were at Gordonstoun.
Senior school pupils performed The Tempest on June 24 and 25, with 20 cast and crew aged 13-18 involved in the show.
A young Prince Charles arrives at Gordonstoun with Sir Iain Tennant (left), the late Prince Philip and headmaster Robert Chew (right)
Gordonstoun head Simon Cane-Hardy said: 'Innes House is an iconic venue, which has had a long-standing history with Gordonstoun stretching back to Prince Charles' time at the school.
'So, it was fitting that it provided the stunning backdrop to an outside performance of Shakespeare's The Tempest and we are grateful to the Tennant family for facilitating it.
'More than 200 people attended the free events and enjoyed a night of high drama.
'Gordonstoun is proud of its strong links with local communities and we were delighted to put on these performances in service to them.
'It was fantastic to see so many people come along and watch the students perform.
Charles performed as Macbeth at Gordonstoun (Royal Collection/PA)
'Hopefully, this will be the first of many theatre performances at Innes House – the students are certainly looking forward to treading the boards, or grass, there again.'
Innes House owner Edward Tennant, a current parent and governor, is the grandson of Sir Iain Tennant, who accompanied a young Charles on his first day at Gordonstoun in May 1962.
Charles was involved in drama productions during his time at the school and took the lead role in Macbeth in a 1965 production.
His performance as Macbeth was said to be outstanding and he was described as the best actor in the school.
Members of the senior school took part in the show (Gordonstoun/PA)
Edward Tennant said: 'My wife, Zoe, and I were delighted to be able to host the Gordonstoun Shakespeare production here at Innes House and give students the opportunity to experience performing in the open air away from school.
'It is a pleasure to continue the historical connection between Gordonstoun and Innes House, and we look forward to the school returning for many more productions in the future and for the local community to continue to have the chance to witness the superb talent of these young performers in a very special setting.'
Student Alison Turner, who played the part of Prospero, said: 'Performing at Innes House was just incredible. The scenery was amazing where we performed, with the giant oak tree, flowerbeds and the statues.
'It all just felt very whimsical and magical to perform there, and helped bring to life the story we were trying to tell.'
Student Tigerlily Toley, who played the character of Antonio, said: 'The audience were so engaged in our storytelling, which helped to bring the community together to share a collective, unique experience and love for the performing arts.'