Acting Out

The Acting Out! Drama elective class focused on improvisation in Semester 2. After working on their individual improvisation skills early in Term 3 students then worked in pairs to write a script and performance a 5-minute play. Some of these were filmed at home and uploaded for assessment and others created a ‘Teams’ play, performing their play online.

In Term 4 improvisation skills were further developed through the study and practice of Commedia dell’Arte, old Italian comedy from the Renaissance period. Students learned about the stock characters and practised acting each of them. They learned about the masks and lazzi (comedic episodes unrelated to the plot) sequences. In groups of six, students planned, rehearsed and performed their own Commedia plays based on a given scenario to staff and students. They wore traditional Commedia masks and costume specific to each character.

Charlotte Drinnan

Year 9 Acting Out!