This year started out with a little disappointment for the Mercedes Drama Department, with the cancellation of the school musical. Despite this, staff and students have worked hard to make this year as “dramatic” as possible anyway.
In Year 11, ATAR Drama students performed scenes from the classic play “A Streetcar Named Desire” by Tennessee Williams. Students brought the scenes to life with theatre lighting, props and costumes.
In Year 12, things were a little more experimental. The class has been exploring the physical movement ideas of Anne Bogart and Jacques Lecoq. They then used these ideas to reinterpret their set text Rhinoceros, a play by Eugene Ionesco. Students had to incorporate the absurdist style of the play and ensure the themes the text presents are relevant for a contemporary audience. The play allegorically explores the rise of Nazism in Eastern Europe, and the concepts of individuality, resistance and conformity. These performances saw the students make links to contemporary totalitarian governments and the Russia-Ukraine conflict in their reinterpretations.
And finally, our Year 7 Drama students have been learning all about the origins of theatre through the study of Ritual and Greek Theatre this term. They have had great fun applying the dramatic techniques to new stories, and entertained their classmates by performing them in class this week.
By all accounts, the future of Drama at Mercedes is in safe hands!
