Theatre Studies

From the Ironbark Theatre

On Thursday the 17th of October, the VCE Theatre Studies class delivered their performance exam monologues.

Monologues ranged from the classic---Shakespeare’s Hamlet--- to more modern and contemporary plays such as Nicholas Wright’s adaptation of His Dark Materials, and Joanna Murray-Smith’s Bombshells.

The performance monologue is a culmination of all of the things that students have been working towards since Unit 1 in Theatre Studies. Students undertook copious amounts of research, which at times included trips into Australia’s true crime history and viewing many (many) adaptations of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Students were able to choose what aspects of theatre they were focusing on, with many of our students opting to follow the acting/direction path, whilst a small number decided to focus their work within the realm of theatre design.

It was with great pride (and no small amount of stress), that we boarded the college bus on that Thursday morning and headed to the Darebin Arts Centre for the final performance in front of a panel of experts. The feeling of intense pride only seemed to multiply as we arrived and students continued to work together to support each other, ease frazzled nerves (namely mine), and build each other up in the face of a such a unique experience.

Following the final student exam of the day, we made our way to the nearest McDonald’s for a celebratory lunch and debrief.

Over the last several years, it has been such a privilege to see the wide-reaching benefits of the performing arts impact our students. Not only has it given our them a way to express themselves and their emotions effectively, but it has also contributed to the personal development of our students.

I can only hope that they will continue to explore and enjoy the performing arts in whatever capacity they are able to and that the experiences they have had as members of the Performing Arts learning area, will be something they carry with them well into adulthood.