Year 12 Theatre Studies ‘Man the Balloon’

On Tuesday the 23rd of April, our Unit 3 Theatre Studies class presented to the audience their creative interpretation of Matt Cameron’s ‘Man the Balloon’. 

‘Man the Balloon’ tells the story of Elliot Rumble who declares the outbreak of an alarming trend: citizens are spontaneously combusting. Elliot, a hapless balloon enthusiast, struggles to uncover the cause of the random blow-ups and convince everyone they need help before they all disappear. 

In this unit, students develop an interpretation of a script through the stages of the theatrical production process: planning, development and presentation. Students specialise in two areas of stagecraft, working collaboratively to realise the production of a script. 

Everything within the performance was been devised and created by the students on stage and behind the scenes. Under the guidance and leadership of our directors Ebony Zerafa and Alex Brewer – the students executed the entire performance by themselves. They were the actors, the backstage crew, the stage manager, lights and sound crew. I sat in the audience and enjoyed the show. 

Students were assessed at each of the three stages of production. Not only are the students responsible for creating and presenting the performance but they also need to analyse and evaluate their ongoing developmental contributions. Ask anyone who was in the audience – these students created a 2-hour play filled with laughs, insight, imagination and despair. 

Congratulations to all of the 15 students involved in this production. For their dedication, commitment, hard work, resilience, collaboration, creativity, talent and professionalism. Some students found a new calling through this process, while others are comforted in the thought that they went out with a bang! Thank you to all the staff, students and families who came along to support and celebrate their success. I am so extremely proud of this class and the magic that they created on the stage.