As I sat in my seat, waiting for the Barron Scriptwriting Competition Showcase to begin, I was pleasantly delighted to be surrounded by such a warm community. People were chatting amongst themselves, with writers and directors hidden in plain sight alongside casual theatre enthusiasts. This crowd meant for an inviting and creative atmosphere that was my initial impression of this event and I had high hopes. Five short performances were to occur, each written, directed and per

The Gilmore Girls  re-watch is an annual ritual. However, many find Rory Gilmore, one of the main protagonists, quite infuriating and say the show becomes unwatchable after she leaves high school. So why is it that Rory goes from becoming everyone's favourite to everyone's most hated character? In short, what really leads to Rory Gilmore's academic ‘downfall’ and does she deserve the hate or are viewers being too harsh? Source: Pinterest Throughout Rory's entire life, until s

By Amy Lam It starts so slowly, you’d barely realise it. At first, the changes are subtle, and maybe even welcome after a long summer. You wear an extra layer one day perhaps, or a singular orange leaf falls on you on your way to class. Are you more tired than usual, or is that just your imagination? And then before you know it, you’re stepping out at 5pm into the pitch black, the nights feel longer than the days could ever be, and you’re wearing a full winter coat in your ho

By Bethany Dowell As October’s Halloween excitement fades and I’m pulled into the reality of deadline season approaching, my social media algorithms have been flooded with the idealisation of “locking in” for the final stretch of semester one. As a consequence, alongside completing readings, writing 3,000 words and attending society meetings, I feel burdened with the daily reminders to walk 10,000 steps, drink 2 litres of water and journal before sleeping for nine hours. On s

When she announced her engagement to the football player Travis Kelce on Instagram, Taylor Swift captioned the post: “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.” She echoed a lyric from her love song “So High School”: “You know how to ball, I know Aristotle.” But the origins of this particular self-styling are fairly recent. Swift had always been acknowledged as a talented lyricist, but, until around five years ago, “writer,” let alone writing teacher , h

For those who aren’t familiar with Gossip Girl , let me enlighten you: 121 episodes of a skilfully crafted, dramatic masterclass. The addictive show follows teenage billionaires Chuck, Nate, Blair and Serena as they navigate the skyline of New York’s 2007-2012 Upper East Side. Without giving away too much for those who have somehow survived (surely with difficulty) without seeing Blake Lively repeatedly muttering 'I have to go' upon their screen, Gossip Girl beholds affairs

By Ella Prieto In middle school, I almost failed French.   My teacher was this peculiar lady who taught yoga in her free time, spoke seven languages, and always enjoyed pulling me to the front of the class to call me an idiot. She would prowl into the auditorium where we waited before school to force us (her worst students) into extra grammar practice. She often called my mother to tell her what an awful student I was, without any sort of solutions nor empathy. Tears never mo

By Bethany Dowell Often when I hear that there is going to be a celebrity rendition of my favourite reality TV show, my heart sinks. However, when I found out that The Traitors UK  was expanding to the celebrity domain, I couldn’t help but feel giddy inside. Despite only two episodes being aired so far, it’s already clear that The Traitors: Celebrity UK might just be the rare spin-off that works.     Before any reality TV show airs, casting is the most significant talking poi

Sabrina Stevenson The Muppets has been a household name for as long as many can remember. Their first solo appearances were in the late 70s with The Muppet Show , featuring a variety of A-list celebrity guests. Today it might be best known for The Muppet Christmas Carol , an adaptation of the Dickens classic which has been a long time Christmas staple in my family. Yet every year as the credits roll, we find ourselves asking – why did they ever stop making these? While the fr

By Heather McLeod Why are kids these days struggling so much to read and write? Simple answer: they aren’t reading for leisure. Every day we are seeing more and more children who have fallen out of love with reading. Not only that, but they actively avoid picking up a book altogether.  Reading is an essential, basic skill for anyone to successfully function in today's society. It develops communication and literacy skills which are needed in every aspect of life.  However, we

I am pleased to write for The Stand in part because of its devotion to fashion, of which I am moderately keen about. Now don’t get me wrong, I am clueless as to the goings on of the St Andrews fashion societies; I am yet to achieve the “autumnal chic” of the university students; and I am so far off the clothing trends that I might as well be living on the moon — the corduroy and collar is generally my uniform. Yet, I still have an appreciation for these articles in The Stand

We are all chasing something, whether that be academic success, a perfect resume, athletic excellence, romantic attention. And what do each of these ambitions have in common? They grant a certain sense of validation that makes us feel more important. After all,  doesn’t everybody want to be important? While these noble(ish) pursuits have been connected to human experience as long as historians have documented civilization, I can’t help but highlight one form of attempted fulf

Romeo and Juliet . Many of you will read that title and shudder: suddenly plunged straight back into your year 10 classroom, (AQA survivors stand in solidarity).   Picture the scene: it's no later than 9am on a cold November morning - no - scratch that, January morning (to add to the air of depression I'm trying to recreate), and your teacher suddenly announces, “today we’ll be looking at Shakespeare”. There’s a collective groan, and the look you blazingly throw at the teache

TWO is a play about love, loss and betrayal – and Mermaids’ latest rendition left me suspended between laughter and stunned melancholy. Jim Cartwright’s script unfolds in a small-town pub, the lives of its drinkers and owners revealing the quiet tragedies behind everyday love. As I sat in the buzzing Barron for the opening night performance, my expectations were blank. The cartoonish set — a bar drawn in thick, newspaper-like outlines, with matching chairs and an all-green wa

When Trump was first elected, I was ten years old. I woke to the sound of my door slowly cracking open, my mother’s pained face...

By Bethany Dowell At the age of six, a typical outfit for me consisted of a Peppa Pig T-shirt, paired with a flowing skirt. Complimenting...

By Eliza O'keefe In one of my classes, the table has a rectangular hole in the middle, and you can look down the middle and see...

A review of the romantic tragicomedy Constellations.

Love, as described in the film as the last religion, has not been lost among all the modern noise. We just have to fight for it. 

A guide on how to get glares and dismantle patriarchy, starting with your family.