Senior School News

Purple Poppy Day - My Experience

On Friday 24th February, I attended the Service of Dedication for the Simpson of Gallipoli Memorial at the ANZAC Village in Narrabeen to represent Pittwater House and play the Last Post and Rouse. There was an audience of around 50 people including a dedication by Mr Ali Sevim, Consul General in Sydney, The Republic of Türkiye. I learnt that today is Purple Poppy Day which represents and commemorates the animals that have served and are still serving in war and conflicts around the world. It was amazing to be a part of this service and see the sense of community within the War Veterans village. I really enjoyed this experience.

Phoebe (C10)

From the Co-ordinator of Dance and Drama

It has already been a busy start to the Year for the Elective Dance and Drama students, who have already been to some live performances, something we have missed throughout the last couple of years. 

Elective Dance students with Miss Eaton and Mrs Tamatea: 

Last week the Year 11 and 12 Drama Students attended ‘Onstage’ and Years 9 to 11 Accelerated Dance students attended ‘Callbacks’. These are showcases of exemplary HSC dance works from 2022, such inspiring performances for our students who are now buzzing with creativity for their own works. 

The Year 11 and 10 Drama students attended the production ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ by Sydney Theatre Company on Wednesday evening. Here’s what one of our Drama students had to say about the experiences: 

Last week Years 11 and 12 went to the Seymour Centre to watch the HSC OnStage performances. We got to see the exemplar performances from the 2022 HSC which were not just amazing but also inspiring, motivating us to be as good as we can be this year and next year. We not only watched the incredible group performances and monologues, but we also got to see some exemplar individual projects. We saw different set designs, costume designs, and even directors’ portfolios which were all truly magnificent. It was such an enriching experience and got me quite excited for the next two years!

This week Year 10 and 11 went to the Sydney Theatre Company to see a very different performance, 'The Picture of Dorian Gray'. I honestly believe that this performance left us all without words as we watched how big of an impact technology can have on modern theatre. We watched an incredible one woman show which displayed to us how one person can be so many different characters. We watched her change her character on stage and on the screens as we were fully emerged into the story of Dorian Gray. I personally found this performance breathtaking and such an amazing experience.

We’ve definitely had a fun, enriching, and inspiring time watching the two performances especially as we’ve missed so many because of COVID. These two excursions have definitely been two of my favourite excursions and I can’t wait for our next trip to the theatre! 

Yarra (C11)

Year 11 and 12 Drama students with Ms Wenman and Mr Hambling at 'Onstage':

       Year 10 and 11 Drama students at Sydney Theatre:

We look forward to the next opportunities our Dance and Drama students have over the next few weeks. Sydney Dance Company are coming to work with our dancers, supporting them in both the composition and performance components of the course. The Year 7 and 8 students are off to the Lyric Theatre to see ‘Hairspray’ as part of their Performing Arts studies.