Last night, Trinity Arts Festival invited students to wander through an eerie and enchanted secret garden in the annual Graduates Memorial Building (GMB) takeover. The Gothic Front Square landmark was transformed into Misselthwaite Manor, a decaying mansion that was home to a garden rife with secrets and spells.
As the evening set in, the warm colours of purple, orange and indigo light shone through the windows of the building signalling the beginning of the takeover.
Visitors were first greeted by the dulcet tones of the Trinity Belles on the steps of the GMB. From a crowd-pleasing rendition of Destiny’s Child’s “Independent Women”, to the haunting melodies of choral songs the Belles proved to be a hit with crowd and set the tone for what was to come. As the applause for the Belles faded out, students were quickly ushered into the GMB Chamber for the theatrical performance by DU Players. The Secret Garden theme of the event was unveiled to the audience as actors depicted the tale of a young boy lost in the depths of the Secret Garden. A colourful cast of characters portrayed the enchanted flora and fauna of the Secret garden and bounced around the chamber, engaging with members of the audience. Laughs were aplenty during the course of the skit and it finished by imploring students to help find the missing boy swallowed up by the Secret Garden. Students were instructed to wander through the decorated rooms of the GMB in the hopes of finding the missing protagonist.
The first room on the route was the Phil Committee Room, which played host to a pixie-like shrine to the ethereal sounds of Kate Bush. “Wuthering Heights” played on loop as branches of trees hung from the ceiling. Each room of the GMB sought to provide some kind of challenge or entertainment and in this instance students were invited to pin words of wisdom onto the branches. Moving onwards, the snooker room provided the setting for a delicious feast of nibbles and refreshments provided by DU Food and Drink Society. DU Music Society saw to the entertainment, with a number of talented musicians providing acoustic sets as students enjoyed the delightful spread of cheese, crackers and cheap wine. To the other side of the corridor, DU Film Society projected scenes from a number of fairytale films such as Pan’s Labyrinth and Into the Woods accompanied by an energetic and impressive set from TCD Jazz Society. Throughout the course of the evening the colourful characters of the Secret Garden weaved in and out of the rooms offering to decorate spectators with glitter.
Much praise must also be given to the installations team who left no corner of the GMB unturned. From the floating fabric lanterns hanging in the main hallway to the flowers adorning the walls great care was taken. Students were led higher and higher up the building by the sounds of DUDJ who had taken over the Bram Stoker Room on the top floor. There wasn’t too much time to dance however before the crowd was whisked back to the Chamber for the final scene of the evening. DU Players wrapped things up nicely announcing that the lost little boy had been found as celebratory cries rang through the room. The doors then opened seamlessly into the Conversation Room where guests were treated to one final chance to nab a glass of Revero wine or a trusty can of Tesco lager for the road.
A collaboration between Trinity Arts Festival and no less than 17 societies, the GMB Takeover has long been regarded as one of the fourth week highlights and this year certainly did not disappoint. Trinity Arts Festival must be applauded for continuously giving societies a platform to showcase their undeniable talents. A sense of both magic and mystery pervaded the evening due to the superbly creative efforts of TAF.
