Year 9 Drama: A Thousand Cranes

This term, the Year 9 Drama students worked on developing their scripted ensemble, A Thousand Cranes by Kathryn Schultz Miller. This play is about the true story of Sadako Sasaki, a Japanese girl who was a victim of the Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. She was two when the bombs dropped and was severely irradiated. She survived for another ten years, becoming one of the most widely known hibakusha, the Japanese term for bomb-affected person. She died at the age of 12 in October 1955.

Sadako’s friend told her the legend of the cranes and she set herself a goal of folding 1,000 of them, which was believed to grant the folder a wish. Although she had plenty of free time during her days in the hospital, Sadako lacked paper, so she used medicine wrappings and whatever else she could find; including going to other patients' rooms to ask for the paper from their get-well presents. 

Earlier in the semester, the Year 9 Drama students researched forms of Japanese theatre, including kabuki and bunraku theatre. They also explored eclectic theatre and its conventions such as transformation techniques, use of music and sound effects, and application of symbol. They then used the conventions from these theatre styles to help craft their performance. 

The process of creating the show was heavily student-led, with each student taking on the role of director at different points throughout the term. The students also worked together to block the production, carefully considering the audience, costume changes and prop handling. They also worked diligently to learn their lines and develop their characters for performance in a relatively short period of time. 

Thank you to the parents, staff and students that attended last Wednesday and congratulations to the Year 9 students involved.

Kelsey Holden

Drama teacher