English Incursion - Unlocking Poetry Code 

We were thrilled to host the English incursion, 'Unlocking Poetry Code,' in first week of Term 2. This event was specifically designed for our Year 7 students and Year 8 RISE students to explore poetry in a new and engaging way. Below are some reviews from our 

Year 8 RISE students: 

Olivia H 

On Tuesday 16th of April, I had the privilege of getting to see a live onstage performance from the Poetry In Action company. I had so much fun watching this, as it was full of comedy, very energetic and the actors onstage clearly had fun, which made me enjoy it too. 

This 45-minute stage show was about three people onstage wanting to become better poets. They introduced different poetry techniques to help us improve our writing, such as using rhythm, rhymes, tones, voice, themes and language techniques. The actors stayed in character with their varying personalities as they taught us these, and all while everyone had fun while watching. Onstage, props were being used to match the scene. In one scene they used ribbons as one of the performers sung, creating a pretty visual and matching the slow ballad of the song. 

One of the things I really enjoyed about this show was that I was engaged while watching yet still learning new things. The actors told us about famous poets, read us poetry and educated us about ways to improve our writing. It was thrilling to watch and everyone in the audience was extremely captivated by the performance. 

Something I think that could have made the show even more fun would be using lights and colours to set the scene, however I know that it wasn’t really under their control and they probably couldn’t have used the lighting without a crew. I just think that having the spotlight on the stage would be more visually appealing than having the lights on for the whole theatre. 

I learnt many things, but one of them that really stuck out to me was the use of rhythm while reading poetry. I noticed that when the actress used different types rhythms and voices for a single poem, both sounded entirely different yet the same words were read – just in various ways. This showed me that the way a poem is read can affect it entirely whether or not the lines of the poem are depressing or buoyant.  

Overall, the show was great and I was delighted whilst watching it. I’d recommend the show for people of any age who enjoy writing and want to improve their poetry skills while having a great time watching the show.  

Amelie H  

On the 16th of April, 2024, our class had the opportunity of watching a creative performance with lots of comedy, romance, drama, but most importantly, it involved poetry. Personally, I really enjoyed the show, as a big fan of musical theatre and stage shows, I was very invested. 

The show was cleverly put together, with a plot that kept you guessing. It used a comedic scenario to introduce different poetry styles and tools. Originally, I expected this experience to just be people reading poetry, however it was so much more creative and enticing. I really liked the way they incorporated different pieces of poetry, while keeping it appealing and true to the storyline. The acting was very believable and I think that the whole crowd was loving it. It followed the idea of a poetry performance gone wrong, having one of the actors be replaced by the minivan driver who, unexpectedly has a talent for poetry. 

I found this performance very inspiring, as it showed different styles of poetry that I found very interesting. The performance gave me ideas and motivation for some poetry that I could write. I feel as though this performance would have changed some peoples view of poetry, however I already loved the art of poetry and although it didn’t change my perspective exactly, it definitely made me feel like I should write more. 

From this performance, I learned that not all poetry is s robotic and structured as many may think. I also learnt about different poetry techniques, as well as getting to hear them in real poems. While watching this show I wondered how they decided which poems to include in the play. There are so many incredible poems that they could’ve chosen, however they managed t make each one fit perfectly. 

I would definitely recommend this show to other students, especially ones that have an interest in live performances or poetry. I think it was very well done and super entertaining as well as helpful for students studying poetry. I really liked the show and would give it five stars!! 

Bill P 

The performance was about three people trying to perform a poem recital while encountering many challenges along the way, including a missing colleague and the suspicious min-van driver who eagerly took her place. The performance presented different types of poetry, with examples, to give an in-depth understanding, whilst overcoming these challenges.  

I would rate this show a 7/10. Most of the actors did a good job but one wasn’t as committed to their role or maybe just not that good of an actor to be believable.  

I learnt about many different types of poetry such as ode and slam poetry. It changed my opinion on poetry because I still am most comfortable with rhyming poetry in different structures, but I was encouraged by the appeal of any type of poetry.  

Regarding the actors of this play, I am curious as to what started their interest in poetry and acting. 

I would recommend this show to other people because it teaches you a lot about poetry and it was just a really entertaining performance in general.