2005 School Magazine

Performance

Performance

Lady Macbeth

All the World’s a Stage Combined Junior Production

Theatre Dance

Azdak’s Garden The Senior Production

Azdak’s Garden, our adaptation of Bertolt Brecht’s The Caucasian Chalk Circle, was a performance that all cast members will remember fondly. Every scene, every piece of action had its own motivation. The main story of a young peasant girl’s fight to keep a child that she has made her own was transformed into a unique and confronting performance at the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts. Performing at the Judith Wright Centre was a complex venture in itself. The production was widely regarded as being much more ‘professional’ than a school production. All cast members agreed that based on the extensive training undertaken, the competency of the director, the venue and the sheer enthusiasm of the cast, this production was so much more than we expected. Elizabeth Talbot (12R) DRAMA CAPTAIN

“Wow! Zen Zen Zo? Don’t they have nudity in their shows? Is that the really freaky physical stuff?” After the initial reaction to the news that Brisbane Girls Grammar School had invited Zen Zen Zo Physical Theatre core company member, Steven Mitchell-Wright, to co-direct the Senior Production for 2005, our curiosity was satisfied. No, there would be no nudity, but yes - it was physical theatre! This type of theatre was a new experience for the School, the co-ordinating teachers and particularly the students involved in the production of Azdak’s Garden. The audition process was a mixture of traditional audition pieces and circuit training! Right from the beginning, the cast knew that this was not going to be easy. We were not just going to learn our lines, block our movements, and perform a traditional play. Oh no! this was Zen Zen Zo. We were physical theatre performers! We put our best (and often sore) feet forward at each training session. We soldiered on through the initial training process that included traditional Suzuki methods to enhance focus and endurance. One of these exercises, “The Stomp”, challenged us to stomp with our knees high in the air, eyes facing forward, hands by our sides, for roughly two and a half minutes. It is harder than it sounds. However, the resulting production would not have been as spectacular if we had not experienced the training offered by Zen Zen Zo.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Dogg’s Hamlet

Combined Senior Play

Brisbane Girls Grammar School 128

School Magazine 2005 129