There is nothing quite like the prep-school play

Letter home from prep-school boy, c. 1949: ‘Dear Mummy and Daddy, last night was the school play. It was Hamlet. A lot of the parents had seen it before, but they laughed all the same.’

Guffaws from the audience at lines that are not supposed to be funny; total absence of laughter at lines that are: these are what actors and directors dread. The world of prep-school drama has come a long way since 1949. The three-hour Shakespeare tragedy marathon has generally been ditched in favour of swiftness and inclusivity. Under an hour is the preferred length, and it is not done to have lengthy black-outs while scenery is changed. Props have been simplified: one armchair is shorthand for a drawing room, one hay bale for a barn, one front door for a house. Each year, wisdom is passed from director to director. Here, gathered from some of the top prep-school play directors and writers — and some observant parents — is up-to-date advice for the coming year.