Performing Arts

PAPA Comedy Night - 4 May

The night promises to be a fabulous night of fun and laughter. Get your tickets now!

Music Matters

Congratulations and thank you to the Junior School Chorale for their beautiful singing at the JS Bible liturgy on Tuesday. They were praised for their efforts in leading the singing, with Mrs Greenwood exclaiming it was the best singing she’s heard by the Junior School students in three years! Thank you also to Mrs Stephanie Gan for her wonderful accompanying and to Mr Brendan Jones for the sound and audio engineering, along with the Live Production students who assisted in the set up for the liturgy. Students are always welcome to come and try out the Chorale; rehearsals take place on Thursday mornings at 7:30 am in Music Room 1 (MR1).

Recommended student workshops

Free Jazz Improvisation Workshops at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music,

Monday 29 April (pupil free day)

These are an excellent opportunity for all our instrumentalists, especially those in the Concert and Jazz Bands and Elective Music students, to enhance their improvisation skills, either online or in person.

The Sydney Conservatorium of Music invites secondary school students to a workshop/s on Monday 29 April with members of the Jazz Faculty that will help to demystify the intersection of improvisation and composition.

These two workshops will be offered in a hybrid format: in person at the Conservatorium campus, and live streamed for remote participants. There is no cost for participants.

Led by guitarist, vocalist and composer Jess Green, participants will explore techniques to connect improvising with composing, using Jess’s compositions as vehicles for play and discovery. These workshops are open to all high school aged students, with no pre-requisites. Students will have opportunities to sing, clap and play their instruments in collective improvisation, as well learn from Conservatorium jazz students and lecturers about pathways to studying jazz at the Conservatorium.

For more information, and registration details, please provide this link to students: https://bit.ly/4ao6S2m

Holiday workshops - Stage Crew: Improve your backstage skills or learn new ones with the upcoming April school holiday workshops with Tech Crew HQ at the Sydney Opera House.

Hands-on activities include:

Video and vision system skills including projectors, cameras and vision switchers
Backstage technical tour of the Sydney Opera House
Panel talk and Q&A with technical experts who work backstage
Safety skills including lifting and carrying so that you can work safely backstage

Click on the link to learn more: techcrewhq.com.

Upcoming Performing Arts events: Next term is an incredibly busy and exciting time for our Performing Arts students. Parents will be sent details closer to the time.

Yr 5/6 Liturgy Tues 9 April, Week 11, Junior Chorale

Term 2:

Anzac Day Service, Week 1, Wednesday 1 May – Senior Concert Band
Jazz Workshop Day Sunday 5 May, 9:00 am - 1:00 pm Intermediate and Senior Jazz – Band Room; 1:30 pm Junior Jazz workshop
Mothers’ Day Mass - Week 2, Wednesday 8 May – Junior and Senior Chorales, College Orchestra - Oxford Falls
Rehearsal for Founder's Day Mass at Oxford Falls 10:30 am – 2:30 pm (Chorale, Drumline and ‘Super Band’ (Senior Concert Band, Orchestra and some Intermediate Concert Band members by invitation)
Founders’ Day Mass, Week 2, Friday 10 May, ‘Super Band’, Drumline & Chorales, Oxford Falls
Forestville RSL Concert - Week 3, Wednesday 15 May, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm – Senior Jazz
Chamber Music Concert – Week 4, Friday 24 May, 7:00 pm
Bands Concert – Week 5, 31 Friday May, 5:00 pm
Sydney Eisteddfod, Concourse Theatre Thursday 6 June (TBC) – Senior & Intermediate Jazz

Wishing all our students and their families, a happy, safe and relaxing holiday break – with lots of instrumental practice!

Mrs Annabel Westhoff - Leader of Learning, Performing Arts

Drama Matters

Reminders:

All Drama Ensembles: Junior, Intermediate & Senior are now being held in the Sarto Centre.

No Intermediate Ensemble in Week 11

The final Junior Ensemble date is Week 12 April 7.30 am - 8:25 am

Absences

If your son will miss his Drama ensemble for any reason, can you please ensure this is indicated through Clipboard. All rolls are now taken electronically.

Year 7 Cartoon Chase Videos

To add to some of the pieces already published in previous weeks…

Students have been working on a Cartoon Chase this term.

Some chose to create a storyboard and others created videos.

Below are some of the work students produced.

https://vimeo.com/931905244?share=copy

https://vimeo.com/931905208?share=copy

https://vimeo.com/931905163?share=copy

Year 10 performance

Last week Year 10 Drama performed their original devised play for a group of wonderful Year 5 students. The play had been written to entertain and engage a young audience. There was lots of audience participation, and the audience were transported to a Jumanji- style adventure with fighting monkeys, riddles and a quest to solve. Thanks again to the Year 5 students who took time from their lunch to watch the play.

Upcoming Drama Events:

11 April: HSC Drama Gifted & Talented workshop is to be held at St Catherine’s School. Students will take part in a full day devising workshop with professional theatre company Force Majeure. This is a wonderful opportunity for the class to brush up on their devising skills ready for the start of Term 2 when they begin working on their Group Project.
1 May: All Year 8 students will watch a Commedia Comedy Show from 1:30 pm in the Sarto Centre. (This show has been kindly paid for by PAPA). Commedia dell’arte is widely regarded as the beginnings of all modern comedy. It relies on stock characters and was originally an improvised show that travelled through Northern Italy. Fools in Progress will perform for our Year 8 students at St Pius X College on the afternoon of Wednesday 1 April (Week 1, Term 2). This is a wonderful opportunity for students to experience live theatre with masks and costumes. Year 9 Drama Elective students will also watch this performance as they are studying Commedia in Term 2.
8 May: Drama Elective groups Years 9, 10 & 11 will go to Sydney Theatre Company to watch Dario Fo & Franca Rame’s famous play, Can’t Pay, Won’t Pay! (This event has been kindly paid for by PAPA). This is part of STC’s School Day Performances 2024 and is a wonderful opportunity for students to immerse themselves in a professional production.

Ms Penny Lindley - Leader of Learning, Drama