Students from Jersey College for Girls are due to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Jersey’s liberation by staging a play inspired by real memories from Islanders who were children during the Occupation.
Barbed Wire and Teddy Bears was written by local writer Karen Forbes, who is also the school’s former Head of English.
Around 30 students from Year 8 to 13 will take to the stage each evening from Tuesday to Friday this week.
The four main characters in the play have been double cast to give eight students the opportunity to take on the roles, with many other pupils helping with different aspects of the production behind the scenes.
Archive recordings and photographs from Jersey Heritage will be incorporated throughout the play.
The production will also be recorded for the Jersey Archive to preserve the stories for years to come.
JCG Head of Drama Caroline Stone previously directed the play when it was premiered by the Jersey Amateur Dramatic Club in 2022.
“It was wonderful to direct the original cast, as they were adults playing children,” she said.
“This time we have children playing children, which is similar and different in equal measure.
“It’s really lovely as well, because they have the obvious energy of real children.”
Mrs Stone said it felt “so necessary” to commemorate the events of the Occupation this year.
She added: “It’s also wonderful to be able to stage the play at JCG because the Germans took over College House – at the time Victoria College House – during the Occupation, and our principal’s study was the Field Commandant’s office.”
Barbed Wire and Teddy Bears will be performed at JCG from Tuesday 2 until Friday 5 December, starting at 19:30 each night.
Tickets can be bought via Eventbrite. Free tickets are available to any child of the Occupation, with 25% off for JCG alumni.
GALLERY…
