Drama and Theatre
“Away” by Michael Gow
Tickets are on sale here for the annual Redlands School play, Away by Michael Gow, to be performed at the Zenith Theatre, Chatswood on Thursday 8, Friday 9 (6.30pm) and Saturday 10 (2pm) August. It’s going to be a great performance, come along, support the amazing Redlands students involved and enjoy a great night of theatre. Here’s a couple of sneak peaks from the most recent rehearsal.
Suzuki Reflection I
This week, as part of our research and experiential learning into World Theatre Traditions our IB Theatre class had the privilege of learning the basics of Suzuki, a Japanese form of physical theatre from the mid 20th Century. Led by practitioner Shane Anthony, we discovered how to control each aspect of our body and wholly release tension, a practice that has many applications in drama, even outside of Suzuki. To train this, we learned a variety of exercises that proved to be incredibly mentally and physically challenging, requiring a high degree of focus and fluidity to apply correctly. These included multiple intricate stepping patterns, in which the actor must remain in complete control of their bodies. We all are greatly appreciative of the opportunity and can’t wait to apply these practices to future work!
Hiro Phillips
Yr 11 IB Theatre Student
Suzuki Reflection II
On Monday, we had Shane Anthony come in to lead a workshop on the World Theatre Tradition of Suzuki. Shane is a director, producer, dramaturg and movement coach and we were lucky enough to have his extensive knowledge passed onto us. From this workshop, some of my key takeaways were the idea of using the body as an instrument for theatre, by almost removing yourself from your body and simply using it as a vehicle to facilitate theatre. This meant learning and practising very precise movement, controlling and manipulating your body even in moments of stillness and always having a deep understanding of your body and what it is doing. Putting this idea, which Suzuki presents, into practice was very challenging for all of us, as we reflected on how having control of our body at all times, even of our face, breath and muscles, was very strenuous and tiring. However, this allowed us to make very controlled, intentional movements to convey our meaning through theatre. This also included never letting your audience know what you as an individual are feeling. There idea was that you should always draw attention to yourself as an actor, even when you aren’t speaking or even facing the audience. Shane talked about harnessing the emotion which as an actor, you wish to portray, and projecting that onto the audience, even when you aren’t in the focus of the performance. Overall, this was a very useful experience for me to better understand the different types of theatre in the world around us!
Betti Butcher
Yr 11 IB Theatre Student
Excursion: Dracula
Last week, Year 10 Drama embarked on a journey to the iconic Roslyn Packer Theatre in the Rocks to see Sydney Theatre Company’s new (and sold out) production of Dracula, directed by Artistic Director Kip Williams. The third part in his Gothic cine-theatre trilogy, the show synthesised a number of innovative film and theatre techniques to create an experience unlike anything the cohort had seen before. The use of mobile screens and multiple camera feeds in conjunction with Zahra Newman’s phenomenal solo performance was received as a remarkable new style of theatre by many of our students. As they embark on their next unit on multi-disciplinary theatre, they will find these ideas and techniques a source of great inspiration for their own pieces.
Lincoln Gidney
Drama and Theatre
GALA ARTS – CONGRATULATIONS
Congratulations to all the participants in Friday’s Gala Arts. All students performed beautifully and showcased their astounding skills, performance quality and house spirit. Congratulations to the following winners:
Dance: ‘Bouquet’ – Tali Feldman and Charlotte Humphries
Instrumental: ‘Banjo and Fiddle’ – Edward Chang
Theatre: ‘A Musical’ – Louis Abrahams, Leo Campbell, Soraya Christian-Hare, Remie Gibbs, Halcyon Hunt, Imogen Jeffery-Billich, Sholto Mirrlees-Black, Chloe Scamps, Isabella Solgaard & Mackenzie Willis
Vocal: ‘She Used to Be Mine’ – Sahara Nicholas
Jnr Visual Arts: Zac Fowler
Snr Visual Arts: Bianca Maxwell
Overall Winner: ‘She Used to Be Mine’ – Sahara Nicholas
Overall House Winner: Roseby