Das „White Horse Theatre“ ist eine englische Theatergruppe, die aus vier Personen besteht. Sie reisen durch ganz Deutschland und besuchen Schulen. Sie führen verschiedene Theaterstücke für verschiedene Jahrgangsstufen auf. Ich bin in der sechsten Klasse und unser Theaterstück hieß „The tiger of the seas“. Ich fand das Theaterstück super. Besonders gut gefallen hat mir, dass wir Schüler aktiv mitmachen konnten. Das war lustig und hat allen viel Spaß gemacht. Am Ende gab es viel Applaus. Mir hat nicht so gut gefallen, dass die Schauspieler manchmal sehr laut geschrien haben. Das lag vielleicht daran, dass sie ohne Mikrofone gesprochen haben. Ich freue mich schon jetzt auf die neunte Klasse, wenn „The White Horse Theater“ wiederkommt. 

DAS WHITE HORSE THEATRE BESUCHT UNSERE SCHULE MIT DEM FESSELNDE STÜCK “STICKS AND STONES“ ZUM THEMA MOBBING UND DESSEN FOLGEN

Am Donnerstag, dem 22. Januar 2026, führten die Schauspieler des White Horse Theatre in der dritten und vierten Stunde das Theaterstück “Sticks and Stones“ in unserer Aula auf. Die Schülerinnen und Schüler der Jahrgangsstufen acht und neun sowie einige Lehrerinnen und Lehrer bildeten das Publikum.

Nachdem alle Zuschauer einen Platz gefunden hatten und das Gemurmel abebbte, begann das Stück mit einer Einführung des Akteurs Sam, welcher die Rolle „Tony“ spielte. Schon bald zog er die Schülerinnen und Schüler in seinen Bann. Mit insgesamt vier Darstellern wurden die Geschichten zweier Kinder, die auf unterschiedliche Arten Mobbing erfuhren, auf die Bühne gebracht. Während „Tony“ auf dem Schulweg und auf dem Pausenhof physisch gemobbt wurde, litt Ruth unter verbalem Mobbing. Außerdem behandelte die Aufführung die Folgen von Mobbing, wie beispielsweise beängstigende Albträume, Rückzug, Schulangst, ein geringeres Selbstwertgefühl und Suizidgedanken.

Die Hauptaussage der Aufführung lautete: “The watchers are the worst!“ Wiederholt liefen die Schauspieler auf und ab und riefen: “The watchers are the worst! The watchers are the worst!“ Schlussendlich entschuldigten sich die Mobber bei den Mobbingopfern und es stellte sich heraus, dass auch sie ihre eigene Geschichte und viele Probleme haben. Am Ende fragte die Darstellerin Jojo das Publikum: “When Tony and Ruth were being bullied, why didn’t you stand up for them?“ Dann wurde es leise unter den Schülern, bis schließlich ein Schüler aufstand. Daraufhin erhoben sich nach und nach alle Schülerinnen und Schüler in der Aula und zeigten so ihre Solidarität gegenüber den Betroffenen. Insgesamt sorgte das Theaterstück bei den Zuschauern für begeisterte und faszinierte Reaktionen. Dies auch aufgrund der schönen Umsetzung des Themas, sowie dem kreativen Bühnenbild, der mitreißenden Vorstellung und der lebendigen Schauspielerei.

Und damit rufen auch wir auf: Wenn ihr Mobbing mitbekommt oder seht, wie jemand gemobbt wird, setzt euch für die Opfer ein, helft ihnen und schaut nicht weg. Denn: “The watchers are the worst!“

The Great Gatsby - one of the great classics of 20th-century literature, and one of America's most beloved tales, was presented in our school on 22nd January 2026, by the White Horse Theater with its talented stage actors: Oscar Mackie, Jojo Phillips, Sam Wood-Dow, and Livi Thomas.

The Novel was written one hundred and one years ago by F. Scott Fitzgerald capturing the spirit of the „Jazz age“ and the “American dream“. This specific story narrates about Mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby, who throws legendary, luxurious parties on his Long Island estate, that everyone in the city wants to attend. But nobody knows that all of his glamour is only for one guest: Daisy Buchanan, his old lost love. Now married to Tom Buchanan, Daisy is caught in a world of secrets and forbidden desire. Happily or sadly, as Gatsby’s new neighbour and Daisy’s cousin, Nick Carraway, enters the scene as he moves in next door to Gatsby. So now new chances arise for Gatsby to reunite with Daisy.

The stage was modestly decorated but the scene could still beautifully convey the dazzling world of the 1920s with its Art Deco atmosphere: The background coulisse was emerald green imitating the windows with a golden frame, probably representing Gatsby’s property sometimes, and for the other times it nicely reflected the atmosphere of the world in the era. The performance began with direct Oscar Mackie’s interaction with the audience, which created a sense of involvement and attention also because of the actor's strong and really ringing voice. He stepped forward and spoke to us students, asking questions about the novel and encouraging a response, which, in my opinion, was a really good idea, since after that everyone was involved with their full attention, driven by curiosity.

„Perfection is in the details“ so was it here, hidden in the precise music choice and fancy clothes…
The stories began with the introduction of the main characters: Nick Carraway, Tom Buchanan, Daisy, and finally The Gatsby, accompanied by musical jazz which also reinforced understanding of their personalities; Daisy, for example, was presented with a light and playful melody that emphasized her charm and apparent carelessness, and Gatsby’s theme, in contrast, sounded deeper and more mysterious, hinting at the complexity and hidden tension behind his calm figure. Another trifle that I really enjoyed observing, was the choice of those two‘s clothing choice: they both wore pink, which, in my opinion, was a very romantic symbol, that showed that even despite the distance and obstacles they still remained lovers.

After that, the actual story began…

During the play, I was impressed by the fact that each actor had two roles to play, always with two opposite character features. Each of them also had their own adaptive costumes to clarify the transitions often using an additional jacket or coat, which they took of are wore behind the scenes quickly.
Although the most striking thing was how incredibly fast they got into other character, even though it surely wasn’t easy, since the roles maintained the opposite natures. Tom, for instance, was portrayed through a firm stance, sharp movements, and a commanding voice that conveyed dominance and confidence. In contrast, other role(Nick Carraway),performed by the same actor, appeared lighter, kinder, shyer, and more restrained. Equally impressive was the portrayal of Gatsby, whose transformation was achieved through a complete energy shift. A tense, unstable figure with a strained voice and restless movements gradually gave way to a composed and charismatic character, marked by controlled gestures and a calm, confident tone.
Also, Daisy, who was presented with warmth, lightness, and almost childlike optimism, while in later scenes, where she has played a criminal, had a much broader emotional spectrum through a sudden deep voice, unexpected and convincing shifts in mood, and crazy-like energy.

Also every of them had to take the role of the narrator creating a unique narrative technique, which blurred the line between storyteller and the scene happening behind him. Instead of having a separate narrator, the actors themselves alternated between telling the story and participating in the act: at times, a performer would step into the role of narrator, as if commenting or clarifying the situation happening behind, and then seamlessly return to acting within the scene. For me, it was definitely a new approach which created a dynamic storytelling rhythm and secured the understanding of the story from multiple perspectives at the same time making it also look very natural.

This brings me to another point that fascinated me which was the teamwork within the group.
They had this kind of sense of precision extending to the creative use of space and props around them. This really transformed the small school stage into a world with a lot of settings. They often build an environment through movement and interaction with objects. In one memorable scene, for example, a simple tray became a steering wheel, while theatricalized body movements created a realistic illusion of a moving car. The following accident was shown through acrobatic theatre, when the actress was lifted and turned to suggest the flight of the body, after being hit by a car. In general the actors were moving very coordinated and organised, cooperating when needed, to move some props to create a new scene, you could really tell every act was perfectly planned and it really stressed their professionalism.

After the theatrical performance was over, the actors kindly stayed and could give us answers to the curious questions of students regarding their acting careers and journeys. It was very interesting and surely motivated some of our students who want to tie their life to acting. Overall, after asking some of my friends, classmates, and some teachersc, it became clear that the theatre piece left only positive emotional effects on the public, as it did on me. It was unhesitatingly one of the most colourful, emotional, and romantic performances I have personally seen in our school. Thank you White Horse Theatre and the actors for bringing to life the beloved story The Great Gatsby on our school stage. It was a great experience.