English News

"The Stones"

Visiting Theatre Group – Zeal Theatre

On Friday, 25 March all students in Years 7 to 10 and Yr 11 and 12 Drama students attended a performance of the play 'The Stones' in the school hall. 'The Stones' is about risk-taking behaviour and the pain of guilt when things go too far. Two boys, aged 13 and 15, are charged with manslaughter after kicking rocks off a freeway overpass and killing a motorist. The play places the audience in the position of a jury where they must consider whether the boys are responsible for their actions, or too young to know what they were doing. 

THE STONES, was written and performed by Tom Lycos and Stefo Nantsou. The 2 actors presented a tour de force of physical theatre which involved live music, fantastic examples of the use of the body and voice while acting and an enormous amount of energy. The 2 men played multiple characters changing minor elements of the costume to create the different characters necessary to the storyline. Students were enthralled as the actors took us into the world of the two boys, who did what a lot of young people do, and acted irresponsibly without any regard for the consequences. The play leaves students to consider the impact one silly act could have on their lives. 

After the performance, students were able to ask the performers questions about the creative process of creating a play, the rehearsal process, and the history of performing this play. Some of the questions focused on acting as a career, and the 2 men discussed how they have been performing this play for over 26 years. Students were a fantastic audience and were moved to laughter and sadness as the story progressed. This performance was the first taste of live performance for many students.

Students of Drama in Years 10, 11 and 12 were fortunate to be involved with workshops with the actors for the rest of the day.

Thank you to Mr Scott Davis for organising this fantastic experience for our students, and thank you to Mr McKinney for covering the cost of this experience for our students.

Sharyn Rix

Head Teacher English, Drama

Poetry in Action

Visiting Theatre Production

Bringing poetry to life through performance.

On Thursday the 28th of April, all students in Year 8 and Year 10, 11 and 12 Drama, attended a visiting theatre production in the school gym. The students were enthralled as 3 actors performed a fast-paced and wildly entertaining 45-minute show that presented humorous, dynamic and thrilling perspectives on poetry and literature.

The performers presented unique interpretations of poetic works ranging from Yeats through to Eminem. Students emerged with transformed appreciations of poetry and literature and with an unprecedented familiarity with poetic techniques. They were learning while being entertained and hopefully developed a newfound enthusiasm for using poetry as a valuable form of self-expression.

Includes original poetry from our Artistic Director Bryce Youngman as well as poetry by Dorothea MacKellar, W.T. Goodge, TS Eliot, Rumi, Anna Akhmatova as well as contemporary work from Bella Poarch and Olivia Rodrigo.

The show brought poetry alive from the page to the stage and showed the power of words. It was a wonderful opportunity for students to discover the fun, excitement, and engaging world of poetry!

Mrs Rix

Head Teacher English