From the Drama Department!
The drama department has had such a successful start to the year!
Firstly, the drama department started the year with two new drama teachers; Miss Maree Longworth and Miss Alicia Hansen, who are also new to the Burdekin. Our first taste of life at Ayr State High School started with the Burdekin Schools' Drama Festival which was held on Friday, the 27th of March at the Burdekin Theatre. After a long rehearsal period, 40 students from years 8-12 performed The Fifteen Minute Hamlet, and were a great success. The students returned to school the following Monday with rave reviews from teachers, friends and other members of the community. We would like to congratulate the following students for receiving an award on the night;
The Director's Award - Joel Keleher (Year 12)
For showing dedication and commitment throughout the rehearsal process
Best Actor Award - Blair Armstrong (Year 12)
For his excellent use of voice as well as his range of acting ability
Adjudicator's Award - Gabrielle Vacher (Year 10)
For her portrayal of Gertrude.
Well done to all cast members!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Miss Longworth and the year 8s are currently in rehearsals for the production, Unhand Me Squire, which will be performed for the primary schools and members of the public in the beginning of term three.
Keep learning your lines!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Year 8 News!
Our first drama rotation for the year saw many new faces and some great acting talent! Our year 8 students mastered their first style of theatre - improvisation, which saw them learn how to act on the spot and off the top of their heads. As well as this, they learned appropriate performance techniques such as gestures, facial expressions, blocking and voice.
8D were lucky enough to perform their last assessment item for Mr Kieoskie's and Mrs Mitchell's year 7 classes from Ayr State Primary School. The primary school students enjoyed their visits and the year 8s loved performing in front of them.
The first Drama rotation has finished for 2009, with 8B leaving Miss Hansen and 8D leaving Miss Longworth. Both groups enjoyed the subject and we hope to see you back in our classrooms for 2010!
We would like to welcome the new year 8s into drama this term with 8C learning how to act with Miss Longworth and 8A with Miss Hansen.
We hope you enjoy this arts rotation!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Year 9 News!
The year 9 students have begun the year with a success after studying the elements of drama in term one. This was also the term which saw them use published scripts for the first time. Miss Longworth's class performed excerpts from Away by Michael Gow and demonstrated their immense acting ability particularly from John Lee, Kyle Tuffin, Bobbie Shae Clarke and Riley Southwood.
This term the year 9 classes are learning about Clowning and Comedy for their unit entitled Clowning Around. Their first assignment was to write a stand up comedy script, and to help them, the drama teachers organised a visit from stand up comedian Mark Gladman who showed them how to structure a comedy script and perform to an audience of peers. His help was enjoyed by all and greatly appreciated.
The students have begun to workshop their own comedy performance which they will present to an audience of peers towards the end of term.
Following this, a compulsory excursion has been organised for the year 9s to attend. They will be seeing C!RCA 61 Circus Routines in 60 Minutes which will be performed at the Burdekin Theatre at 7:30pm, Tuesday 23rd of June. Excursion forms have been handed to the students.
Keep working hard Year 9s!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Year 10 News!
Miss Longworth and Miss Hansen were surprised at the large number of year 10s they have! Three classes of year 10's learned about Youth Theatre in term one which saw them perform to an audience of their peers about social issues that the youth of today are facing. They were able to have a lecture from the school nurse, Pauline about the effects of the issues and how we can face them.
So far, term two has been the most enjoyable as the students have been studying Australian plays. Miss Hansen's class will be performing 48 Shade of Brown by Nick Earls, a play about a young boy searching for his identity, love and completing year 12! While Miss Longworth's class has studied the true story, Blackrock by Nick Enright which is a play about a group of young teenagers who have a party down at the beach which ends in disaster. All three classes will be presenting excerpts from these scripts to an audience of their peers.
An excursion has been scheduled for the year 10 drama classes this term. The students will be travelling to Townsville to see Oedipus The King, an ancient Greek tragedy written by Sophocles. The excursion is on Thursday, the 11th of June leaving Ayr State High School at 9:40am returning at 2:30pm. Money ($15) and excursion forms need to be handed into the office by Thursday, 4th of June.
Keep smiling year 10!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Senior Drama news! (Yr 11 & 12)
Straight into hard work for the year 11 and 12s this year. They began term one looking at the work of William Shakespeare and two of his greatest tragedies; King Lear and Hamlet. Once the students got their head around the language of the plays, they were asked to write a responding essay based on a stimulus question. The year 11s were then asked to take the Shakespeare plays and modernise them to suit a modern day audience - something they did with ease and success!
Term one also saw the first Senior Drama night for 2009 with assessment items presented by the year 11 students and devised works presented by the year 12s.
Term two began with a voluntary excursion to see the Debutante Diaries at the Burdekin Theatre which was enjoyed by those who went.
The students have been studying about the style of Absurdism, a unit which has baffled many of the students. This style of theatre is deep in existentialist theory and the absurdists believe that we have no greater purpose in life - thus they created a style of theatre to complement the existentialist theory.
Students will be asked to write their own Absurdist scripts which are due in Week 8, as well as present an excerpt from Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot.
A compulsory excursion has been organised for the 15th of July (first week back of term 3) leaving at 3:30pm to travel to Townsville to see the Bell Shakespeare production of Taming the Shrew with pre-dinner at Sizzler's restaurant. Money and excursion forms need to be handed in to the office by the end of term two to secure their place on the bus.
Stop stressing year 11 and 12s!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
