2016 School Magazine

THE SENIOR DRAMA PRODUCTION

An adaptation of Bertolt Brecht’s The Caucasian Chalk Circle , written by Helen Howard and Michael Futcher

This year’s Senior Drama production, an adaptation of Bertolt Brecht’s classic play The Caucasian Chalk Circle , was an outstanding performance that engaged full audiences across the three night season. Set against the backdrop of civil war, the story follows Grusha, a servant girl who is forced to make a choice as she flees the burning palace: to rescue the Governor’s abandoned child, or to leave him behind. Renowned Brisbane actor, Helen Howard, was the guest director who guided and challenged us through an intensive rehearsal process. We learnt so much throughout this experience, as Helen imparted many acting tips and techniques, encouraging each of us to use our intuition and to hone our technical acting skills. Her years of experience as an actor were invaluable and her high expectations demanded we dig deep as we found our characters in order to tell the story with heart and truth. This performance was very different in style as it is Epic theatre and was performed as an ensemble, allowing the actors to remain onstage for the most part and provide live soundscapes and react to the action as onlookers. Helen’s direction conveyed Grusha’s treacherous journey of escape, through stylised action, percussion and vocal soundscapes evoking the harsh

environments and forces that were both physical and emotional obstacles for Grusha. Such detailed interaction takes a lot of rehearsal and strong collaboration to get it right. Helen also taught us the importance of connecting with each other on stage and building relationships between characters. It was a very rewarding experience to work as an ensemble and a great opportunity to get to know other Senior drama girls. The cast were really energetic and supportive. As the performance drew near, we really started to see the piece come together. Opening night arrived and the performance was a huge success. Audiences across the three evenings were impressed with our standard of performance and the quality of the production. It was such a rewarding experience. Being our final drama production at Girls Grammar, as Drama Captains we were delighted that it was so successful, and after months of rehearsals we were extremely proud of all the girls and their commitment to the show. Thank you to everyone who contributed to such a unique and inspiring production, in particular Helen Howard as an outstanding and committed director, Mrs Riveros for her tireless management and Mr. Jennings for all his video production. ALEXIA BAKKER (12G) AND CAITLIN O’MEARA (12R) DRAMA CAPTAINS

THE DRAMA STUDIO (FORMERLY THE DRAMA CLUB)

The Drama Studio’s Semester One program offered an opportunity for all interested students to be in a Physical Theatre ensemble performance piece, What Do You Want From Me? The project, facilitated by Mr Jennings, involved weekly workshops that explored our ideas through written and physical activities, giving us a sense of ownership of the work. Neridah Waters, a Brisbane-based theatre-maker and choreographer assisted in shaping our ideas into action. The performance explored our own life experiences; the expectations and pressures, self-scrutiny, where we see ourselves now and in the future. A series of projection installations featuring video of the ensemble complimented the site-specific performance, bringing the Creative Learning Centre to life in colourful spectacle. I particularly enjoyed the opportunity to meet and engage with girls from Years 9-11 and exchange creative ideas in the building of the work. All the girls that took part put in a tremendous amount of effort and with the help of Mr Jennings and Neridah, the performance night was a great success. Overall my experience in Drama studio was one I will not forget.

ALEXANDRIA ZOPPI (10E)

CO-CURRICULUM / 119 119 / CO- RRICULUM