Performing Arts News

Top Acts – 2016

Top Acts 2016 is a concert which celebrates the VCE performing arts studies and demonstrates the highlights from the VCE Season of Excellence for 2016.

“VCE students who excelled for music, drama, theatre studies and dance performed in the Top Class series of concerts in February and March this year. These performances showed current and future students where the VCE curriculum can take them and were enjoyed by record numbers. Melbourne’s finest venues including the Melbourne Recital Centre, Melba Hall at the University of Melbourne and Playhouse, Arts Centre Melbourne played host to these concerts”. – Mr. Chris Wardlaw, Chair, VCAA

Four drama solos were presented at Top Acts for 2016. Three of them were male. The only female represented was Melbourne Girls’ College student from Drama 2015, Sunny Youngsmith. It was incredibly exciting to attend such a dynamic and inspiring concert with such a wonderful representation from the performing arts across Victoria. To have a Melbourne Girls’ College student perform was quite an achievement. Congratulation Sunny and best of luck with your future performance endeavors.

Thank you!

Thank you to Lucy Skelton for her generous donation of a keyboard for the Music Department.

Drama Ensembles - 2016

Last Tuesday night the current 15 year 12 Drama students presented their VCE Drama Ensembles. The students are given a set stimulus and criteria and create a performance based around the material they have been given. After attending the Malthouse Theatre’s production of “Picnic at Hanging Rock” the students embraced a criteria set by the Malthouse Education Unit. LOST explored some of the following questions. These questions could be literally explored or considered more metaphorically.

• “What is it that we have lost? What do we need to find again?  Is it best left forgotten?”
• “What’s the point of a maze? To lose yourself?  To find yourself?”
• “It is when we have become lost that we begin to find ourselves?’

The final performances were a varied and entertaining exploration of the above topic that demonstrated excellent use of non-naturalistic theatre. It has indeed been a stressful lead up to the final ensemble presentation for the year 12 Drama girls and I applaud their hard work, imagination and creativity. I look forward to seeing what this class creates for their solo performances that will be examined by the VCAA during the examination season later this year.

Lindy Mummé – Drama teacher