ENGLISH

Romeo and Juliet

This term the Year 9 students have been studying Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet  in English. To best appreciate this classic play, students were taken to The Playhouse at the Arts Centre Melbourne, to watch a fantastic performance by the Bell Shakespeare Company. The company staged a captivating adaptation of the play which expertly explored the key themes of love, fate and conflict. The company employs some fine actors who really brought the characters to life for the students.

All Quiet on the Western Front

After watching Romeo and Juliet, students visited the Shrine of Remembrance and participated in a walking tour which included the highlights of the monuments there. They were told of the importance of the Shrine, the reason it was built and the stories inspiring the various monuments. This was to enrich their study of the novel All Quiet on the Western Front, which is set in World War I and explores many of the themes and issues real soldiers would have faced in the conflict. 

Macbeth

Each semester VCE English students must complete a Context Study; this semester for Year 11 English students it is on the theme of Power, focusing on the text Macbeth. As it is always best to watch plays, as the playwright intended, we invited the Bell Shakespeare Company to perform Macbeth Undone to the students. 

As usual, the actors gave an energetic and precise performance which engaged the audience of students. The play is an abridged version of the original, which suited our needs as the actors could focus on explaining different aspects of Power within the play, thus assisting the students further in their Context Study. The students asked questions at the end which showed their deepening understanding of the play and its themes while the actors were able to offer up differing interpretations of the work.   

Vicky Brahmin

English Coordinator