ACS Cobham students perform play ‘I Love XXX’

Talented High School students from ACS Cobham International School staged ‘I Love XXX’ to impressed family, friends and the school community on Monday, 3 December.

The 14 –18-year-old performers took on the play by Meng Jinghui, originally written in Chinese before being translated to English. The performance reflects on historical events of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries without the use of costume and props.

‘I Love XXX’ is a piece of anti-theatre, which means it has no direct plot and no characters. The majority of the dialogue in the show begins with the phrase “I love…”, addressing historical events such as the Chinese Revolution in a personal, nostalgic and satirical way.

Alongside 13 actors and actresses, High School students also undertook backstage technical roles, enhancing the show with professional lighting, sound and staging. All music within the production was provided by pupils on stage, playing instruments such as flute, clarinet and electric guitar.

Darryl Nel, Head of Performing Arts at ACS Cobham, said of the performance:

I’m incredibly proud of all the students who have been working hard for weeks on this piece of theatre. As the play itself is so unconventional, it allowed the students to explore a new type of drama that they hadn’t encountered before, as well as develop their existing communication and collaboration skills.