Lucy Jackson previews an evening of home theatricals at Blenheim Palace

On March 29 and 30, Blenheim Palace will slip back in time to 1779 and an evening of home theatricals from the time of the 4th Duke of Marlborough.

Merchants, lecturers, musical entertainers, jugglers, actors, confetti and all manner of attractions will fill The Orangery and surrounding rooms, before a production of R.B.

Sheridan’s biting satire, The Critic, rounds the evening off.

This ambitious project is a collaboration between pupils of Magdalen College School and actor Joanne Pearce, wife of Adrian Noble, the world-renowned director and former artistic director of the RSC, who will be co-directing in the weeks running up to the performances.

Committed to an ‘authentic experience of home theatricals in the late 18th-century’, it is the provision of a plurality of experiences for the audience which attracted the Nobles to the project and which promise to make it a unique educational opportunity for all those involved.

The evening will start with lectures from teams of pupils on the historical and literary contexts of the play and the 4th Duke, who used the Orangery to put on such evenings with members of his family taking roles in the productions.

The audience will then be spirited back to the bustle of the 18th century by costumed pupils singing contemporary ballads, proclaiming speeches, providing street entertainments, touting their wares and discussing the pressing matters of the day with members of the audience before the play itself begins. Focus has been on providing a critic appropriate to the period and it is thought that Blenheim will not have seen, nor see again, the end-of-play masque performed in its full glory, as is planned for both evenings.

The Nobles have been able to use their extensive contacts in the theatrical world to enlist the support of other leading professionals.

The designer, Annie Gosney (former production manager for the National Theatre), has been involved from the start, sourcing costumes from the National Theatre and Bristol Old Vic and setting about creating a set that collapses together with the self-stylings of Sheridan’s characters.

The music meanwhile is receiving the expert attention of composer and actor Philip Pope.

Looking forward to the production, Dr Timothy Hands, the Master of MCS, said, “I strongly believe that academic success is achieved because of, rather than in spite of, full extra-curricular experiences.

“Like most good schools, Magdalen therefore seeks outstanding educational opportunities which afford its pupils breadth and stretch, both in and out of the classroom; this project clearly has both in abundance.”

The school is most grateful for the generosity and enthusiasm of the Nobles and Blenheim Palace which have enabled the pupils to work with such special people in a special environment. It promises to be a unique and opulent experience, one not be missed.

For details of tickets, call 01865 24219, e-mail reception@mcsoxford.org. or visit the website: www.mcsoxford.org

Lucy Jackson is studying for a DPhil on the role of the Greek Chorus at Oxford University. She is an associate director of MCS and is company manager of The Critic