Department News

• Languages:  French
• Performing Arts

Languages:  French

On their last lesson for Term 2, the Year 9 French class took part in the Annual St Pius X College  Pétanque Championships.  Pétanque is France’s answer to lawn bowls, similar to ‘Boules’ in France or ‘Bocce’ in Italy. It is commonly played by retired gentlemen along the beachfront in Nouméa, New Caledonia. As part of their cultural component of our Sport and Leisure unit of work, Year 9 learnt about the rules and the jargon of the game.

The setting for our tournament was Beauchamp Park, rather appropriate as Beauchamp means ‘beautiful field’ in French. The competition was fierce as the boys battled their way through the Elimination Round, Semi Finals and of course the all-important Grand Final. Congratulations to Ashley Johnson who took out 1st place and Emerson Anstead who was the runner-up in our 2018 Championships.

Mrs S McCormack - French Teacher

Performing Arts

YEAR 11 DRAMA WORKSHOP AT NIDA: THEATRE OF THE ABSURD

Nick McKenzie - Year 10

Although it was a cold and rainy day, the workshop proved to be an extremely worthwhile experience, expanding my ability to focus, particularly when put into “absurd” situations. The workshop began with a series of warm-ups led by our tutor Damien Ragg.

Each activity focused on attaining and maintaining our focus. We were then introduced to the idea of status and clowning. Clowning does not necessarily have to be funny but instead the actor has to be honest about the emotion they are feeling. This linked to “Waiting for Godot”, the text we are working on in Year 11 Drama. In this play much of the humour does not come from the actors being funny per se, rather they are the victims of their own circumstances, resulting in entertainment for the audience.The final activity was a short scene which we had to rehearse and act out. We had to perform this scene with some sort of physical affliction, such as not being able to move our limbs, or only being able to speak and move your tongue. This created much humour compared to the original performed scene.

The workshop was quick but thoroughly enjoyable and an informative lesson on how to effectively act in the way of the absurd. Through it I was able to improve my ability to create tension in scenes through body language and also build confidence with this style of acting. On behalf of the class I would like to thank Ms Lindley for making this experience possible.

YEAR 12 DRAMA HSC SHOWCASE

Congratulations to the Year 12 Drama students and Ms Lindley for a compelling evening of performances last Thursday. The Group Performance explored addictions in the online world and its ongoing repercussions in the real world, whilst the individual projects saw very different characters presented through a range of monologues. We wish the boys well in their final preparations for the HSC over the coming weeks.

IPSHA PERFORMING ARTS FESTIVAL

On Monday the College and Junior Choir hosted a combined rehearsal at Oxford Falls for schools participating in the IPSHA Performing Arts Festival on Tuesday 14th August. The boys were fine ambassadors, ensuring that all guests were looked after with warm St Pius hospitality. Sincere thanks to Ms Pip Waters for not only preparing the Junior Choir but also for her willingness to conduct one of the “massed” Choir items; Mr Stephen Cummins for setting-up and organising instruments and sound equipment for the rehearsal venues; Mrs Anna Coombs for preparing a mouth-watering morning tea, and Mr Long for driving the boys to and from Oxford Falls.

Ticket sales for the Festival will close on Tuesday 7th August, so parents will need to be quick to book their 2 ticket allocation. After this date, unsold tickets will be offered to families who have requested additional. Final information regarding rehearsals on the 14th August, plus the evening concert will be sent later this week.

YEAR 11 DRAMA PERFORMANCE NIGHT

The Year 11 Drama class will be showcasing their work to date NEXT Wednesday 8th August, 6.00pm in the Sarto Centre.

STAGES 3 and 4 MUSIC

Years 5 - 8 Music classes have hit the ground running in the first week of Term 3. The photo display shows them learning to read, play and decode music.

Ms T Bates - Performing Arts Coordinator