The Year 11 and 12 Drama students at Prince Alfred College have been busy this term preparing their final performance work and have had the privilege of working with industry professionals to further their understanding of the performing arts and develop their final dramatic work. The Year 12 Drama class participated in an intensive masterclass directing workshop with director, David Mealor. He developed their understanding of the symbolism and nuanced themes in their text study True West by Sam Shepard. The Year 12 class are directing and performing two scenes from this play under their company banner ‘Pioneers’ Theatre Company and will be creating a polished dramatic product later this term.
The Year 11 Drama class worked with playwright Peter Beaglehole to further their understanding of their text study Glengarry Glen Ross by David Mamet. The playwriting masterclass enabled the students to further understand David Mamet’s distinct writing style and apply these skills to their own dramatized scenes. The Year 11 students wrote their own scenes as additional scenes to the text and defined their character backstories. They further explored the transformation of their character arcs and applied broken syntax to define their character voices in their written scenes. The Year 10, 11, 12 Drama classes attended State Theatre Company’s triumphant performance Hibernation by Finegan Kruckemeyer at the Playhouse recently and were inspired by the clever playwriting techniques adopted, Mitchell Butel’s slick direction and Jonathan Oxlad’s provocative design.
Let your imagination run wild!
Year 10 Drama students proudly present Ernie’s Incredible Illucinations by Alan Ayckbourn, a bright comedy based on the extraordinary powers of Ernie Fraser, a daydreamer with a difference.
Like all schoolboys, Ernie has a vivid imagination, but Ernie’s thoughts have a disturbing habit of turning into reality. After several embarrassing episodes, Ernie’s parents decide to consult a doctor, who is very sceptical.
Several of Ernie’s adventures proceed to be shown in flashbacks but when Ernie fails to produce a brass band on demand, the doctor diagnoses group hallucinations for the entire family as the issue and recommends a visit to a specialist.
The Year 10 Drama class will apply Grotowski’s acting techniques to this play of magical realism. An exaggerated comedy performance, it will entertain some of the Year 5 and 6 students at Prince Alfred College on Wednesday 22nd September at 12pm in the Prince Philip Theatre.
You want to know what it takes to sell real estate?
Year 11 Drama will perform the Pulitzer Award winning play, Glengarry Glen Ross by David Mamet - a scathing satirical exposition of the ruthless capitalist business world in American society. Glengarry Glen Ross follows two days in the lives of four desperate Chicago real estate agents who are prepared to engage in any number of unethical, illegal acts, from lies and flattery to bribery, threats, intimidation, and burglary, to sell undesirable real estate to unwitting prospective buyers.
The Year 11 Drama class will perform Glengarry Glen Ross by David Mamet in Term 4 on Wednesday 27th October at 7pm in the Prince Philip Theatre – Adults/Students $10.
We look forward to seeing the incredible talent from the senior students in Drama at Prince Alfred College.
Rebecca Hassam
Senior Drama teacher
