Drama and Theatre
On the evening of Friday 16 August, the Year 12 HSC Drama Cohort presented their Group Performances in a trial examination format. The audience of friends and family were in for a real theatrical treat. The students, guided by their incredible teacher, Ms Marita Jansons, crafted on some fabulous, engaging, clever and highly physical work drawing on biomechanics and other theorist-based concepts. These performances demonstrated a nuanced understanding of the requirements of the HSC course, including the ability to create a sustained piece of theatre in an engaging and collaborative fashion. Next week on 30 August, the students will present their Group Performances, along with their Individual Projects, for the NESA external examiners who will visit Redlands. We wish them all the best as they complete these performance exams, and congratulate them on some outstanding works thus far.
Year 10 Drama have had a busy week presenting their work, in an analytical fashion, the technical aspects of theatre, such as visual and special effects, costuming and lighting in two works they have viewed. Students as a cohort have attended the STC version of Dracula last month and the school play Away this month. Interesting comparisons about how meaning is created and interesting opportunities for conversations about how theatre makers manipulate the production elements to evoke emotion were created through juxtaposition. I had the pleasure of double marking some students and was struck by the depth of knowledge and research students had completed, standing many in a very positive place should they move into future senior studies within Drama and Theatre. It is evident that their teachers have really unfurled the two performances to engage with that time old question, what is good theatre? Thank you to both Mr Gidney and Mr Hawkins for their excellent work.
In the next two weeks, students in the Year 12 IB Cohort are preparing for their final Solo Performance Examination Performance. This element of the new guide has changed and we are working hard to incorporate the challenges this has presented. Part of this change is the manipulation of the camera for the recordings that are made and sent away to the IB for external marking. This week we filmed a draft performance and were lucky enough to have the visiting delegate of international IB teachers from Japan sit in, not sure if it was all able to be translated but they certainly seemed to appreciate the need for academic capacity and what it takes to convert theorist work into a performance. IB Theatre will complete these performance exams in the Studio, on the 5th and 6th of September at 6.30pm.
Mr Hawkins will be out of school from 22 August to 6 September inclusive. If you have any questions or queries please address them to me as he is off marking HSC drama performances and will no doubt bring back a wonderful swag of ideas and professional development to continue to improve work here in Drama.
Kathryn Smith
Acting Subject Coordinator of Drama and Theatre
ksmith@redlands.nsw.edu.au