We went to watch A Man in Half on the 7^th October 2008.  We got there by Newcastle

Coaches.  The journey was long but we had a good laugh on the bus, singing and making

jokes. 

My first impressions of the theatre were good because it was in a big building. It wasn’t what I expected because the it wasn’t that big.  On the stage they used all the space that they had which was good. The play was about a man who was a crazy scientist who had two sides to himself.  One side is good and the other is bad.  The stage was not that big but the set tied in well with the story.  There were a lot of props to tie in with the story. The actor was very good and energetic. 

We spoke to a woman who was a friend of the writer. She asked us if there was anything we wanted to change but there wasn’t really anything.  It was a good day trip to go and watch the play in Dublin.

Thomas Leavy P9

The trip to Dublin was a fantastic trip and this is why!

We left on the 7/10/08 at 8.00am to go down to Dublin to see A Man in Half at The Helix Theatre.  We took a very comfortable coach to get there. It was not only comfortable but it was equipped with a very nice driver.  The journey was long but my friends and I found ways to pass the time. 

As we approached the theatre my first impression was ‘WOW’! as it was so big and nicely designed.  When we entered the theatre I was surprised because I didn’t think it would be as nice or as fashionable as it was.  We waited around for a bit, all of us nervous and excited to see the show. 

When we entered the room that the play was going to take place, we found our seats and the actor then introduced himself and introduced the show to us.  I looked around the room. I was thinking it looked like an office or an old science laboratory.  As the play followed through I thought the actor was amazing as he made the show feel real as if he was actually changing person. 

After the show I spoke to some of my friends and I agreed that the play, actor and scenery of the set were brilliant.  As we drove home back to Down, I thought of the play and said to myself what a wonderful show!

Mark Fulham P9

We went to Dunlin on Tuesday, 7^th of October.  The journey was very long.  When we

 arrived in Dublin we were flying all over the place.  When we got near the theatre I noticed it was so big. When we got off the bus we went inside and lined up for ten minutes outside the doors.  I thought when I went in it would be a massive room filled with seats, and a big stage-instead it was tiny.  It was not what I expected at all.  Around four classes could fit in the room, there wasn’t even a stage. 

The actor was sitting on a chair and writing on a sheet of paper on an old desk.  The play was about a scientist who had this potion which could change him from good to evil.  As I was watching the play it was actually quite good.  I was glad the room was small because you could hear what he was saying and you could see him.  Without the music and the lights it would probably have been boring. 

The actor was amazing. It was a one man show but he made it look like a two man show. My classmates and I spoke to the people who made the play afterwards.  They were asking us was the play good or bad and we asked them did it take long to make the play?  They were nice people overall.  The play was spectacular. The actor really did make it for a one man show.  I would go to see it again.

Patrick Holden P9

We went to the Helix Theatre in Dublin on the 7/10/08.  We travelled by coach.  On our way there I didn’t really see anything unusual.  When we got to Dublin we saw a lot of places we hadn’t seen before.  The Helix Theatre was quite large.

My first impressions of the Helix Theatre was I was shocked by the size of it.  There were stairs, elevators, load of doors and windows as well.  When we went into the room where the play was held I was quite surprised because it was small compared to the rest of the building.

I thought the play was good because there was only one actor doing the whole play.  The stage background and lights were good too, because the timing of them was perfect. The play was about a man called Malachy who had two sides to him, good and evil.  He had a good side and a bad side, his bad side was called Cariboss and he only came out when Malachy drank the potion.

I spoke to quite a few people after the play, mostly my friends.  I thought the play was brilliant.

I would watch the play again but I think it should be a bit longer.  I thought the play was excellent.  I would recommend other people to watch it, as long as they don’t get scared easily!

On the 7^th October 2008, De La Salle High School Year 9’s travelled by bus to Dublin’s Helix Theatre.  We left the school at 8am in the morning and arrived back at 3.15pm.  On the way we past about five lorries on the motorway and we past about ten on the way back. It was very funny because if we waved they always waved back.

When we got to the Helix we went straight in.  Although when we got into the theatre it was really small the stage was about the size of my bedroom!  It wasn’t what I expected I thought it would be much bigger.

The play itself though was great. It was funny, entertaining and you just didn’t know what was going to happen next.  It was about a man that had retired from being a doctor and was now a scientist. He had a good and evil side to him.

I was talking to Seamus on the way back about the play and we both thought it was very, very good.  I thought it was very funny.

The day out of school was great and I loved the play.  I would recommend that you go and see this man.  It’s great.

At 8.00am we departed from the school on a very comfortable coach. We were making our way to Dublin. I didn’t see much on the journey because I was too busy chatting to my friends.

I was surprised the theatre was very small and seats were practically on the stage. I thought the setting of the stage was very well done.

The play was about one man who was a doctor who did emergency operations. But he also liked to make potions. He had just made one and if he drank it he would turn into a different person. An evil man called Caraboss.

The stage was very small, the setting was well done, the furniture was very suitable for the play and the actor played his part very well.

I spoke to the writer’s sister at the end. She asked us if we had enjoyed the play and what we thought of the acting. We all said it was brilliant.

It was a very worth while experience.

Adam Mulhall P9

I went to the Helix Theatre to see A Man in Half on Tuesday 7th October 2008.

On the way to the theatre I saw the new motorway and also saw the new toll bridge for the first time.

My first impressions of the theatre when I entered was seeing the spiralling staircase and seeing the different spotlights. I was expecting to see the different levels of seating.

The play was about a man who went evil when he took his potion but there was a good potion called the antidote which made him go back to normal.

I thought at first the stage wasn’t great. I thought it would be a lot bigger but I was wrong. The set was great. It looked so real like an olden day house and it was like a scientist’s house. The actor was amazing.

I thought the play was good. It seemed like a short journey back to De La Salle.  

On Tuesday October the 7^th the year 9 pupils went to the Helix Theatre in Dublin. We had

 to get up to the school for 7.50am! We were all sent down to room 10 for a register. Once we were all set and ready to go we headed out to the bus on a miserable wet morning.

On the journey down we didn’t pay much attention to our surroundings just talking and playing with our phones and things like that. The one thing which I noticed was when we came to the toll bridge, you have to pay to cross the border! So now we only had a few more miles to go until we got to Dublin!

When we got to the Helix Theatre in Dublin University the bus took us right round to the door. There were a lot of students walking around. We went in and there was a café. We were directed to the theatre by people who worked in the university and when I went in it was totally not what I expected. I thought that it would be huge but I was wrong!! Inside the theatre it was tiny certainly not what I expected.

Although this play only had one character in it, it was pretty good. The play was about a former doctor who had retired and instead became a scientist. He made many potions and antidotes. The most noticeable part of this play was that the actor had two sides an evil and a good side. He asked us to tell him what the differences were between both of the sides, which I thought was good.

I did not get to speak to anyone about the play but I heard my friends did. They said that the director of the play said she was very pleased with the way we acted and answered out during the play. The audience were allowed to participate which made it more fun.

I felt this trip was very entertaining and exciting; the bad thing about it was getting up so early!

Patrick Mageean P9

We went to Dublin to see a play called “A Man in Half”. We went on Tuesday 7^th October. We got there by bus; it took about two hours getting there and another two hours coming back. It felt like it took forever; it was a long, boring journey. Well maybe it wasn’t all boring; I had a bit of fun with my friends on the bus.

When I first went into the main building I thought the theatre was going to be really big but we ended up going into a very small room. It was a lot smaller than I thought it was going to be. I thought there was going to be a stage and a really big theatre, but I was wrong. The theatre was small, had no stage and all of the stage equipment was on a small floor. I thought the play wasn’t going to be that good.

The play was based on a story called Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. A man makes a potion, drinks it but it makes him have an evil side that is the opposite of what he is actually like.

The writer of the play came over to us at the end and asked us what we thought of it. I said that I thought it was mainly good overall. She was shocked we came all the way down from Downpatrick. She thanked us and was really grateful. She was happy that we spoke out and answered all of the actors questions.

My final thoughts on the day were that the show was good but it wasn’t long enough to go all the way from Downpatrick! Overall I thought the trip was good but the journey wasn’t the most fun part!