All the classroom’s a stage
From the carefully crafted world of William Shakespeare to the unplanned and unscripted world of Theatresports, it’s been a ‘drama-filled’ week at ×îÐÂÂ鶹ÊÓƵ.
Last week, our Year 9 drama students had an opportunity to mirror the methods of professional actors at rehearsal, in a day-long workshop with cutting-edge theatre company, Sport for Jove.
Professional actors worked closely with the students to develop scenes from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth and Othello. They offered insights into character and helped each group bring key moments to life.
Shakespeare’s language was never intended to be desk-bound, but was crafted for the stage. Sport for Jove helped the girls to better understand the text, enabling them to make more personal and meaningful connections to the storyline.
Most of the girls are new to performance and really enjoyed the freedom and space of rehearsing outside the classroom.
The students will be showcasing their chosen scenes at the Independent Theatre on 21 November, 2017.
On Saturday, more than 60 girls from Years 7 to 11 took part in the first of two Theatresport workshops in preparation for the hotly contested House Drama Competition next term.
Three tutors from Impro Australia taught the girls the fundamentals of improvisation. The girls were challenged to step outside their comfort zones in a safe, supportive and fun-filled environment as they learned about spontaneity and thinking on their feet. This included playing games like Word At A Time, whereby each player may only contribute one word at a time and another player contributes the next word. Together players build sentences, acting out the story as they are talking.
The girls embraced each task with enthusiasm, learning about movement, concentration, teamwork, imagination, creativity, intellect, listening and voice. It was an entertaining day for all.