Merton Floats
The Garden Play
This year saw another instalment of the annual Merton Garden Play, continuing the long-standing tradition within Merton drama. Departing from Shakespeare, we instead staged a Greek tragedy, specifically Euripides’ Helen, with a new translation from one of the members of the production team. Heartfelt and thoughtful moments balanced with comic and light-hearted relief; this retelling of Helen’s tale was a perfect play for the idyllic backdrop of Fellows’ Garden.
Alongside the wonderful script, we had a similarly ambitious set design from the translator of the play, with a vision of a full tomb and temple and a multitude of Greek-themed props to help suspend belief and transport the audience to an ancient era. The centrepiece – a life-sized, stylised tomb – suited Fellows’ Garden phenomenally; it was as if it had always been there and we were merely lucky enough to need it!
Throughout the production of the play, there were numerous hurdles that had to be overcome: for a start, delays in organising the crew forced delays in casting until the first week of term, which did not leave a large amount of time before the planned performances in 6th Week, so rehearsals began soon after recruitment, with a sense of urgency that ensured everyone was well and truly giving it everything.
With show week fast approaching and with the set not yet delivered, a semi-tech run had to suffice before the first real performance. With the anticipation growing, we went into the first night with gusto. Unfortunately, our gusto was well matched by the windy conditions of the evening, leading to a few mishaps with the set! Despite that, we finished the first performance feeling pleased, but confident the next two nights could go even better. The second night brought the perfect weather and we thought that nothing could top it, especially when looming rainclouds forced us indoors for the final night. But the cast and crew adapted quickly to the TS Eliot Theatre, with the grand piano in place of the tomb! Though it was initially disheartening not to be in the garden, the excitement of the last night ensured that it became the best performance, with sold out tickets and a fantastic audience full of gasps, laughs and applause.
The whole crew and cast were fantastically talented and brought such life, vigour and passion to the play that it was transformed into something so much better than I could have ever imagined. I am eternally grateful to everyone who made it possible. Beyond just acting, the cast and crew were invaluable in helping with setting up, taking down and generally organising the performances, and I cannot thank them enough.
Liam Purchase Merton Floats President (2025–26)
Other productions
The Merton Floats has helped to fund seven student shows this year and a highlight has been that not one but two of these shows were original productions by Merton students. First, in Hilary term, Jemima Freeman (2022) put on her play Up Styx Creek, an original musical about Ancient Greek comedy, which brought ancient jokes and lots of laughter into Keble’s O’Reilly Theatre. Then, at the start of Trinity, Lily Zhang (MPhil, 2024) debuted The Final Salome, a brilliant and haunting play which explored the life story of Robbie Ross, Oscar Wilde’s ex-lover and literary executor. This production took place in our own TS Eliot Theatre, directed by Rowena Sears (2024). Both plays were outstanding showcases of the talent, passion and creativity which Merton can produce.
It has also been wonderful to see so many of our freshers getting involved in drama at Oxford, in shows such as Cyrano de Bergerac, Legally Blonde, and of course the garden play, Helen. Theatre remains a vital and thriving way for students to express themselves, whether they are acting, writing or directing, and the Merton Floats are pleased to continue supporting it.
Jemima Freeman (2022) Merton Floats Treasurer (2024-25)
Continuing the annual tradition of the Merton Garden Play, we staged All's Well That Ends Well in 6th Week of Trinity – a lesser-known Shakespeare play full of romance, trickery and humour, which we wanted to bring back into the spotlight.
We began recruiting cast and crew in the Easter vac, of whom about half were Mertonians. In our initial crew meetings, we figured out the aesthetic of the show, inspired by 1930s fashion and the Mediterranean (the play is set in France and Italy). The main set piece was a garden arch draped with purple curtains, flowers and fairy lights, which formed a beautiful backdrop for our stage in Fellows’ Garden – and inspired our amazing poster, designed by Caroline Longley (2020).
Rehearsals began in Week 1 and working with the actors was very rewarding; they brought so much talent and enthusiasm, often adding to our discussions about their characters, and learning hundreds of lines in less than six weeks.
As show week approached, we were prepared for our dress and tech rehearsals, but the weather had other ideas. Therefore, our opening night was also the first night we actually performed the show with the full tech, dress and stage set-up. Despite this, the show went brilliantly – even when, 20 minutes from the end, an unexpected downpour drove us into the TS Eliot Theatre. The next day, we moved everything over to the Sports Pavilion because of wet weather, but everyone adapted impressively to performing in three venues across two nights.
Fortunately, for the remaining shows, we were back in the garden, with clear weather and sold-out audiences. The play was a hit and all was indeed well that ended well, with a fabulous final night accompanied by the sounds of kazoos and laughter.
Garden plays are a unique experience, often requiring more work than a traditional theatre. We could not have done ours without the dedication of our wonderful cast and crew, who not only excelled in their official roles but also pitched in with setting up the tech, building the set, carting chairs across town, and much more.
We are so pleased to have added All's Well That Ends Well to the garden play tradition and look forward to whatever comes next year.
Jemima Freeman (2022)
Incoming Merton Floats Co-President 2024–25
As the co-director - alongside Lukas Ruediger (2021) and Rowena Sears (2021)- of the 2023 garden play, Twelfth Night, I wanted to explore other opportunities available for drama at Merton. After performing in the Univ Chapel Play in Michaelmas this year, I worked with the director to put on Julius Caesar in the TS Eliot Theatre in Hilary, and The Tempest in the Chapel in Trinity. In doing so, we revived two traditions: collaboration between the Merton Floats and the Univ Players, and the Merton Chapel Play.
It was exciting to explore spaces that are not typically used for theatre. The TS Eliot Theatre proved to be an intimate venue with exciting opportunities for lighting, and the Chapel was incredibly atmospheric.
Kate Harkness (2021)
Merton Floats Co-President 2023–24
After Covid restrictions were eased in Michaelmas, Oxford drama bounced back… and with it, the Merton Floats. The Floats acts in two main areas: as a funding body, and as a production company. Determined to facilitate student theatre and not let money get in the way, this academic year we have funded seven student productions at the Oxford Playhouse, the Burton Taylor Studio and the Michael Pilch Studio, and are currently funding Fringe shows and short films. These productions have ranged from original to well-established musicals, from Shakespeare to exciting new writing.
January 2022 saw the formation of the new committee, with Anna Stephen as President, Aryaman Gupta as Secretary, and Sebastian Dows-Miller continuing as Treasurer. Our first priority was to organise the summer garden play, a tradition the Floats had not revived since 2018. As early as February, we were taking pictures of the lawn and brainstorming the works of Shakespeare, Wilde and Noël Coward. A quick vote on the OUDS Facebook page confirmed our choice: Shakespeare’s much-loved Much Ado About Nothing.
Three months of auditions, rehearsals, snack-buying and last-minute lighting panic later, Much Ado was performed in Fellows’ Garden in Week 6, directed and produced by Anna and Aryaman. The cast included Mertonians Lukas Ruediger (Benedick), Kate Harkness (Beatrice), Izzy Dobson (Don Pedro), Caroline Longley (Leonato), Rowena Sears (Antonio), and Anna Ahlberg (Ursula). We were assisted by a fantastic crew, including Mairi Franklin, Emily Jones, Clara Kummerer and May McEvoy.
We set the play in the late 1960s, in the heat of student counterculture and anti-war protests. With a main set structure of a ‘washing line’ decorated with hand-painted protest posters, an entrance on bikes to Thin Lizzy’s The Boys are Back in Town, and a megaphone with a very loud siren, the play was a fantastic success. Several days threatened rain, but luck was on our side and the sky cleared up in time for all five shows to take place outside. We received excellent feedback and turned an impressive profit, which we will use to fund Merton and university-wide drama.
We would like to thank the Merton Floats, Kelly Calvert and the Events team, Huw James and the Porters, Jane Reid and Khristopher Watts, and Lucille Savin. I am very excited for the future of the Floats in the next academic year.
Anna Stephen (2022)
Merton Floats President 2021-22