Report On The Jact Classical Civilisation and Ancient History Summer School - Repton 7-12th July 2007

Student numbers this year were again healthy with 47 students attending the course and we were very pleased to welcome 6 mature students as they have been few and far between in recent years. I think this year’s students were probably the most geographically far-flung that we have had - one travelled from Australia and another from Thailand to be with us. 11 students tackled Latin for the first time and 15 began Greek. The language classes made fabulous progress in a short space of time and plenty of students returned home vowing to continue their language studies.

We welcomed some splendid new tutors this year. Rosie Wyles wowed the students with her enthusiasm for tragedy.Lynette Fortey and Craig Galbraith (with his constant smile!) gave them an appetite for Roman history. It was wonderful to welcome back Angela Wadsworth who last taught on the course in 2002. She delivered well-received courses in Intermediate Latin and the Odyssey. Lynette also gave a very informative session on both applying for and studying Classics at University.

This year’s students were a delight to teach, they were lively in discussion and diligent in their approach to study. Many of them took five rather than the usual four teaching sessions.

As ever, the drama productions on the final night were stunning. We were treated to a spell-binding Euripides’ Herakles, directed by Rosie Wyles and Chris Eustace. It was aesthetically appealing as those responsible for props had really gone to town - the costumes of Madness (Laura Duckett, Loreto) and Iris (Kim Henderson, Merchant Taylors’) were truly divine. Sarah Wilson (Wolverhampton Girls’) made a confident and sympathetic Herakles. Isabelle Yates (Wolverhampton Girls’) gave a poignant, dignified portrayal of Megara and Jane Griffiths-Ward (mature) lent real stature to the role of Amphitryon. Of course, the real bench mark of their success was whether they could reduce Frances Shaw to tears. Sure enough whilst Theseus (Jake Barlow, Stockport Grammar) was steering Herakles away from suicide, Frances could be heard quietly sobbing in the background.

Fortunately we were then treated to a rip-roaring production of Aristophanes’ Poet and the Women. The pace was fast and lively, the jokes flew. Alex Etchart’s (Camden Girls)Agathon rivalled any professional performance, Dominic Wade’s (Mount St Mary’s College) voice (Cleisthenes) had echoes of Kenneth Williams and Huw Smith-Jones (Euripides, Ashcombe School) and Joshua Crisp (Mnesilochus, Steyning GS) were a voluptuous, hilarious double act. Thanks to Becky Symonds for, once again, putting so much time and effort into both the script and production and to John Roberts and Andy Swithinbank for assisting her.

To round off the evening we ‘treated’ the students to a staff performance of a lesser known classic ‘Oedipus Pecs’. Although this may have left the students rather mystified, they certainly laughed a lot.

Our guest of honour this year was Tori Mckee from Oriel College, Oxford. On the final morning she delivered a fascinating talk on the reception of Euripides’ Herakles, in particular illuminating the text in the light of our production, the Disney version of Hercules’ story and Simon Armitage’s Mister Heracles.

This was another very successful summer school, the majority of students did not want to go home! Thanks to Jo Howling for all her hard work as both Secretary and Treasurer, the Summer School would struggle to function without her. Thanks also to Merchant Taylors and Nottingham High School who all generously released staff at the end of a long term. The Summer School remains indebted to the following bodies for generous grants: The Classical Association, The Craven Committee at Oxford University, The Faculty of Classics at Cambridge University, JACT, The JACT Greek Project, The Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies, The Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies.

Louise Savidge – Course Director