Artspace
Technology's Impact on Our lives - A Thought-Provoking Performance
The IB Theatre course requires students to undertake many roles in relation to making theatre. The Collaborative Theatre Project begins with the class seeking out an interesting starting point and then developing a directorial intention for a devised, original 15minute performance. They then share this with a chosen audience and seek feedback from the audience following the show. Year 12 IB Theatre class, Morag, Ash and Ivor, performed, “Unplugged” on July 26. Stemming from the shelf of 20th-century telephones in the TMAG, the piece is described by Ash, ‘Our directorial intention was to demonstrate how society has developed a dangerous over-reliance on technology and to emphasise its adverse effects on people’s lives’. The show consisted of a series of thought-provoking vignettes of dialogue between family members, physical theatre movement work conveying the struggle to communicate with each other, and voice overs of the family’s artificial intelligence, MIA, ‘helping’ to run the household. The feedback from the audience delighted the performers, with observations made about the piece’s themes and issues confirming that their intention had been successful. Ivor reflected, ‘The audience member’s response about how the piece resonated with them was very meaningful for us as it meant that we were able to achieve our fundamental purpose of performing, which was to entertain and provoke thinking about this topic in our audience.’
- Tammy Giblin, Head of the Arts Faculty and IB Theatre Teacher
Dear Kunanyi
Work by Miriam Berkery
Work by Milly Crombie
Work by Jane Bamford
Work by Hamish Hall
Work by Amelia Newman
Work by Miriam Berkery
Work by Milly Crombie
Work by Jane Bamford
Work by Hamish Hall
Work by Amelia Newman
Some of our very talented staff and students had their works exhibited as part of the Dear Kunanyi exhibition, held at the Salamanca Arts Centre recently.
From the Salamanca Arts Centre Website: "Dear kunanyi is about our relationship with the mountain, its importance to our city and its presence in our lives. We are creating a patchwork quilt of experiences, thrown around us just when the winter is the darkest, and we need it most."
Members of The Friends' School Community whose work was displayed as part of this exhibition included Miriam Berkery, Milly Crombie, Jane Bamford, Hamish Hall, Alice Bowman-Shaw and Amelia Newman.
Visit of Walt Hampton
We were delighted, at long last, to welcome the ultimate ‘marimba maniac’, Walt Hampton, to the School. Based in the United States, Walt is a percussionist, elementary music teacher and composer, and has written much of the music that our various marimba ensembles perform. Walt visited Friends’ over a period of ten days in June with his time at the School culminating in two events, in particular, a Mini Marimba Mania, where 270 students from 10 schools combined to form one large ensemble and the School Marimba Concert. Walt accompanied many of the groups on the drum kit and spoke about his repertoire being performed.
At the School Marimba Concert Walt also participated in the performance of three new works: a junk percussion piece by Year 12 student Kaelyn Girao, a percussion ensemble work by Old Scholar, Luke Bombardieri and a piece written by the Year 4 Marimba Ensemble. We were delighted to welcome back a number of Old Scholars who formed an Old Scholars’ Marimba Band for the occasion.
Festival of Voices
Members of the Year 7/8 Choir recently participated in the annual ‘Tasmania Sings’ event as part of this year’s Festival of Voices. Joining peers from 12 schools from around Tasmania, the students worked with visiting Queensland conductor Chris Burcin for two days in City Hall. The workshops then culminated in a public concert, which was the opening event for this year’s Festival. Students performed a diverse range of musical genres and were accompanied for two pieces by members of the TYO, led by Friends’ student and choir member Felix Churchill.
The repertoire chosen for this event in 2018 was significantly more challenging than previous years and to help the various choirs learn their parts, organisers contacted Friends’ late in 2017 seeking assistance to produce rehearsal tracks. With the assistance of a few senior students, a number of the current Year 8 students gave up their own time at the end of the school year to assist with the recording.