PERFORMING ARTS

Year 7 'Puppets in Isolation'

Throughout remote learning year 7 students developed characters for a puppet performance - "Puppets in Isolation". Each student designed and made a puppet, and wrote a script in which their puppets share their experience and feelings during isolation. The students then filmed these puppet monologues. It has been a really fun project and the students have created some fantastic work. 

Year 9 'Culture Evolves' - Performance Project

This semester, students in Year 9 have been participating in the Drama Victoria Theatre Festival, in which students from schools all over Victoria gather together to be inspired by artists and use stimulus materials to devise a piece of performance work. This year, the topic was 'Culture Evolves' and students were able to explore Indigenous culture, learn from practitioners, understand various perspectives on culture, and use their knowledge to shape a performance. When we moved to Online Continuous Learning, the project did not stop, it simply undertook a new digital form. Students worked independently, demonstrating their understanding of how to apply symbol, physical theatre, stylised gesture, spoken word and dramatic metaphor. They used their research to inform their performance and then back at school, they collaborated to produce a stark and informative, powerful piece which integrated the many ideas they had developed. Congratulations to all students on their fantastic effort and to their teacher, Fiona Bechtold, for supporting them and fostering their creative endeavours.   

VCE Theatre Studies - Design Challenges

In order to keep the VCE students on their toes, they were set a series of design challenges during OCL. One week they had to use set designs concepts to make their very own fort out of furniture and items at home, within ten minutes. Some clever students recruited younger siblings to help them and one managed to cram two adults, herself and two dogs into the fort! In other sessions, students had to describe or play the 'soundscape of their lives' and justify their choices, or create a costume piece by taking it from 'trash to treasure' by ensuring they used only recycled materials. Perhaps the session that proved most popular was 'Crazy Face' week, where students demonstrated their theatrical make-up application skills. 

Whilst these seem like unusual classroom activities, the tasks were carefully considered and created to: 

1) engage students and provide students 'maker tasks' that encourage some time away from their screens 

2) ensure they continued to work creatively and use their imagination, problem solving and cognitive skills to apply a design concept to a different context

3) hone practical skills required later in the year

4) help student make clear connections to the curriculum by exploring the production roles in the VCE study design and be able to clearly articulate their choices

The enthusiasm students demonstrated, coupled with their patience, understanding and diligence during our time online, and their continued focus now we are back at school, is truly impressive.  

Dance Academy

Dance Academy students continued to work throughout OCL in whatever way they could! Their dedication was evident as they practiced their jazz, hip hop, ballet and contemporary work in their lounge rooms, bedrooms, garages and even outside! They are now back in the studio preparing to showcase their work at the end of Term 3.

Here is a video created to show their time Dancing through OCL on the College Youtube Channel.

Virtual Band - 'You've got a friend in me.'

An array of talented musicians collaborated to form a virtual band, under the expert Music Direction of Luke Devenish. Their performance of 'You've got a friend in me,' showcases their continued effort and enthusiasm to hone their musicianship during the period of Online Continuous Learning. Congratulations to all of the students involved.  You can view this link via the college Youtube Channel 

The Year 12 Theatre Studies Production  

The VCE Theatre Studies Unit 3 students found their process radically altered when OCL began. Instead of rehearsing for their production in the theatre, scenes were run via Microsoft TEAMS meetings and instead of designers meeting to discuss their ideas in person, they began to collaborate via OneNote. Students engaged in preparation for their second outcome for Unit 3, developing written responses to previously unseen script material, whilst strategically keeping their conversations and plans for their show continuing in the background. This multi-tasking is not easy so their efforts are impressive.

Since returning to school, they've had an incredibly short time in the development stage to rehearse and apply their designs; however, through determination, focus, collaboration (and a little compromise!) they have been able to produce a thought-provoking, powerful performance. The small audience of Theatre students will undoubtedly learn a lot from understanding the current Year 12 students' process and approach to this area of study. Year 12 Theatre Studies class of 2020 - we are so proud of your work.